


After School Special

by MsBrooklyn



Series: Assembly Line (or Why It's a Lot Harder than Steve Thought to Recruit New Members) [6]
Category: Daredevil (TV), Spider-Man (Ultimateverse), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Earth 1610, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-18
Updated: 2015-10-15
Packaged: 2018-04-21 10:34:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 32,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4825811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsBrooklyn/pseuds/MsBrooklyn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series random or not so random events and encounters in the days and nights of Peter Parker and his friends in which they learn why not to talk to strangers and the After-School Avengers becomes a reality, much to the consternation of the Avengers themselves.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

  
  
  
  
High school.  A not-quite wise person once said that five years from now, none of this will matter.  Okay, the not-quite wise person was Peter Parker's childhood friend Eddie Brock and he went and turned himself a monster.  And right now, high school matters.  It matters a lot.  
  
"Get back here, Parker!"  
  
Peter has two competing priorities.    
  
The first is avoiding Flash Thompson.  Just before first bell this morning, Flash grabbed Peter by the hood of his jacket, spun him around several times and threw him face-first into the school fence.  Flash does this kind of thing for fun because Flash Thompson is an idiot.  Flash is also Peter's science lab partner and, gee, isn't it a shame how clumsy Peter is sometimes?  Flash's football jersey will never be the same, which is why Flash is chasing Peter through Midtown High with murder in his eyes.  
  
Peter is doing his best to get away from Flash, not because he's afraid but because Peter Parker is Spider-man and if he doesn't want the rest of the world to know he's Spidey, he has to put up with Flash's incessant stupidity.  Being Spider-man relates directly to Peter's second competing priority.  
  
There's a guy rampaging through Queens, blowing stuff up.  Stuff, as in cars, buses and police cars.    
  
Sure, Peter is going to get in trouble for cutting seventh period but there's a guy rampaging through Queens, blowing stuff up.    
  
And for once, Flash is doing him a solid by chasing him right out of the school and into the street.  Right where Peter needs to be.  
  
"Parker!?"  Flash stands there, turning in circles.  "Where the hell did he go?"  
  
Peter laughs all the way from Forest Hills to Jamaica Estates.  The normally tony neighborhood looks like a war zone.  Charred, smoldering remains of cars block the streets and fires are burning as he makes his way closer to ground zero.  He's not smiling at all when he sees the destroyed cop cars and the unconscious police officers.  
  
"Blow up another one!"  
  
"Geldoff!"  
  
Peter's jaw drops when he sees the group of kids egging on some other kid.  The kid is a year or two older than Peter and he's wearing an expensive looking leather jacket and a snotty expression.  
  
"Do another one, man!"  
  
The snotty looking kid -- Geldoff -- raises both hands like he's about to do a magic trick.  It turns out, he's definitely doing something because both hands glow blue-white and then another car explodes, which makes Geldoff's idiot friends whoop and high-five each other.  
  
"Bueller!" Peter webs the moron's hands together.  "That is quite enough out of you!"  
  
"Oh crap, it's Spider-man!"  
  
"Kick his ass, Geldoff!"  
  
Geldoff blinks at Peter but doesn't make any threatening moves.  "My name is not Bueller," he says in heavily-accented English.  "It is Geldoff.  You are the Spider-man?  You are very tiny."  
  
"And you're an *idiot*," Peter explodes.  He points into the crowd.  "One of you, call an ambulance.  Right now.   Those cops are hurt.  They could die and you'll be accessories to murder."  
  
"I was only having some fun," Geldoff pouts.  
  
Peter does a double take.  "Fun?  Skippy, fun is not causing millions of dollars in property damage and injuring public servants.  What kind of an idiot are you?"  
  
"They liked it."  Geldoff jerks his chin towards the throng of teens that is starting to disperse now that the words 'property damage' and 'murder' are being thrown around.  "Where they are going?   Yoo hoo?  Where you guys going?"  
  
"They're getting away from you and the blast radius of your stupidity."  Peter rubs his forehead through his mask.  "I can't just hand you over to the cops.  You're dangerous.  What are you, some kind of mutant?"  
  
"No!  Are you the mutant?" Geldoff counters.  
  
"None of your business."    
  
"You look funny in your little costume."  
  
Peter is about to tell Geldoff to shut up when the SWAT team arrives.  In the time it takes him to blink, there are twenty cops with serious-looking guns pointed right at him.  
  
"You two!  On the ground now!"  
  
"Um, yeah... no."  Peter launches himself upwards just as the bullets start flying.  He nearly has a heart attack when Geldoff grabs onto him.  "What?  How did you get out of my webs?!"  
  
"Little itty bitty explosion.  I don't need hands to make the boom.  It just looks dramatic."  
  
"Dude!  You're an idiot! A dangerous, dangerous idiot.  And I need to put you somewhere where you won't be a danger to other -- holy crap!"  Peter's train of thought slams to a screeching halt when a pair of police helicopters appear.  
  
His Spidey sense goes off just as they open fire.  
  
And it keeps going off when the helicopters explode.  
  
"What did you do?"  
  
"They were shooting at us," Geldoff says, unconcerned.  "I make them stop."  
  
"Oh my God."  Peter drops them both onto the roof on a nearby apartment building, raises his mask and throws up even while his Spidey sense is still blaring.  "Do you not get -- You just killed innocent people!"  
  
"They were shooting at us," Geldoff repeats.  
  
"You killed them!"  
  
"As they deserved," comes a rich baritone voice from behind Peter.  "As should any ape that threatens homo superior."  
  
Oh.  Crap.   Peter turns slowly, wincing as he takes in the helmet, the cape and the majestic bearing.  "I told you," he snaps at Geldoff, "You're a mutant.  Dumbass."  
  
"I am not the mutant," Geldoff protests.  "If anyone is the mutant, it is you."  
  
"Dude, you blow stuff up," Peter growls at him.  "With your mind!  Which, granted, is clearly not that big because you're an *idiot*!"  Fists on hips, he cocks his head at Magneto.  "You should really rethink your master plan here because this doofus may be dangerous but he's a real ding dong.  And if you think it was easy working 'doofus' and 'ding dong' into the same sentence, you should really think again."  
  
The Master of Magnetism just stands there, his cape billowing in the breeze, like Peter's not even registering as a threat.  And hello.  Of course he's not.  Duh.  
  
"Is he the mutant too?" Geldoff asks, nudging Peter.  
  
Peter slaps his gloved hand to his forehead.  "Have you ever seen the news, like, once in your life?"  
  
"The news is depressing," Geldoff shrugs.  
  
With a growl of frustration, Peter rounds on him.  "I take it back.  You're beyond an idiot.  Maybe those explosions damaged your brain or something.   How the hell do you not know who Magneto is?  H-he's friggin' *Magneto*, for God's sake!"  
  
"Thank you, boy," Magneto says and Peter could swear he hears a hint of laughter in the man's voice.  
  
"Now would be a good time for the X-Men to show up," Peter calls out.  "Yoo hoo!  X-Men!  Hello?  Avengers?  Moon Knight?  Deadpool?  Kermit?  Anybody?"  
  
"I'm afraid the X-Men are otherwise engaged," Magneto informs him, "allowing me the opportunity to extend an invitation to you talented young men personally."  
  
"See?" Geldoff says smugly.  "I knew you were the mutant in your silly little costume, flitting around like a little ballerina."  
  
With a growl, Peter webs Geldoff's mouth shut.  "I-I c-can't let you take him.  Much as I'd love to see you saddled with this idiot, he killed innocent people and he needs to go to jail--"  
  
"Ape justice," Magneto says dismissively.  
  
"Yeah?" Peter counters peevishly.  "How do you know none of those cops were mutants? O-or maybe one of them has a kid who's a mutant who's going to grow up without a mother or a father?"  
  
"I see Charles has been filling your mind with dreams of peaceful co-existence.  You've been trying so hard, haven't you?  Running about with the Pryde girl, chasing after the Avengers and still you're vilified by the very pathetic creatures you try to protect."  His eyes seem to glow under that freaky helmet.  "You are a superior being, little Spider.  Accept it.  Join me."  
  
It occurs to Peter that Magneto probably wouldn't have to try hard to disable to transmitters in his Spidey suit or conceal them from satellite images.  He swallows as he realizes there's no cavalry coming.   "Um..."  
  
"That," Magneto says, "is an invitation to both of you."  
  
"Mmmmffffmmm."  Geldoff flails his hands and hops from one foot to the other.  
  
"It appears your companion wishes to say something."  
  
"God help us all."  Peter mutters and yanks the web off.  
  
"Ow!"  Geldoff scowls at Peter and then rolls his eyes at Magneto. "Dude, I am not the mutant."  
  
And suddenly, being an idiot seems like a pretty smart plan.  "Yeah, well, I'm not a mutant, either."  
  
"Yes, you are," Geldoff argues.  
  
"No, I am not."  Peter jabs a finger into Geldoff's chest.  "You.  Are.  A.  Mutant."  
  
"No, I am not," Geldoff snarls and shoves Peter.  
  
"Are too!"  Peter shoves him back.  
  
Geldoff grits his teeth and shoves Peter again. "Not!"  
  
"Yeah, you are."  Peter can't believe his plan might actually work.  He shoves Geldoff towards Magneto.  "Go join your mutant brother over there, ya big mutie freak."  
  
"I am not the mutant!"  Geldoff shrieks angrily.  
  
Spidey sense barely gives Peter enough warning to dive off of the roof before there's a giant explosion and the rubble knocks him unconscious.  When he wakes up ten minutes later, the firemen are on the scene but Magneto and Geldoff are gone.  
  
"I knew he was a mutant," Peter mutters.  "And now he's an evil one.  Idiot."  
  
  
  
00000000000000000000000  
  
  
  
"Check that out."  
  
Jessica crouches next to Kate, squatting on the edge of the roof and focusing on the construction site across the street.  "What?"  
  
"That was possibly the biggest rat I've ever seen."  Kate shudders.  "Do you have your own special breed of them here in Hell's Kitchen?"  
  
"No, we import them from the Upper East Side."  
  
"Zing!  Good one, chica!"    
  
It's early evening in the late fall and the sun set an hour ago.  Office workers are starting to pack up and go home while the evening theater crowd is wandering the more gentrified parts of the Kitchen, looking for less expensive restaurants than the ones closer to Times Square.  Jessica sighs.  "Time to call it a day."  
  
"Oh come on.  Ten more minutes," Kate cajoles.  "You can't go home without stopping at least a pickpocket or something.   Otherwise, what's the point of coming up here and freezing your butt off in your little tights?"  
  
"They're not tights.  They're StarkArmor," Jessica says, peevishly.  "And I don't feel the cold."  
  
Kate rolls her eyes.  "Well, I d---- hello.  Purse snatcher, two o'clock."  She leaps to her feet and nocks an arrow while Jessica launches herself over the side of the building.  
  
"That purse doesn't go with those shoes," Jessica calls out to the kid who looks to be about her age.   He yelps as she grabs him by the collar and webs him to a lamp post.  "So if you think about it," she continues, "that's two crimes you just committed.  Purse snatching and a crime against fashion."  
  
The victim is staring at Jessica, mouth hanging open.  She's wearing clothes that are way too expensive for this part of town.  "M-my tote..."  
  
"Sure thing," Jessica tells her cheerfully, tugging the oversized bag from the kid's hand.  A stack of manila folders falls out, papers scattering everywhere.  "Oh, sorry --"  
  
"Don't touch those!"  The woman on her knees instantly, grabbing at the papers and smacking at Jessica's hands.  "Costumed freak!  You're probably working with him!"  
  
Spider sense warns Jessica just as the woman pulls a can of pepper spray from God only knows where.  She leaps upwards and scurries up the front of the building.  "You're welcome.  Make sure you call the cops and stick around long enough to file a complaint or he'll just get released, okay?"  
  
The response she gets is filled with expletives.  
  
"Why do I bother?" Jessica groans as she hops onto the rooftop.  
  
"Cuz, you're stupid."  The gruff voice comes out of nowhere and she whirls, inhumanly fast, to see an old man standing in the shadows.  He's shabbily dressed, wearing some kind of battered cap on his head.  "And you're sloppy."  
  
There's something about the way he's standing, the way his head is tilted slightly to the side that seems almost familiar.  Peter doesn't know this person and neither does she.  Weird.  "Well," she shrugs,  "I'm a kid.  Maybe I'll grow into it."  
  
"Keep being sloppy, you won't live long enough.  Not with what's coming," the man grunts derisively.  "He's sloppy too.  Take what he's teaching you with a grain of salt."  
  
Jessica focuses hard on the man but he's like a shadow and she doesn't have anywhere near enough practice.  "Who *are* you?"  
  
Instead of answering, the man steps back into the darkness.  It takes her half a heartbeat to follow him but by the time she gets there, he's gone.  
  
"Weird."  
  
  
  
000000000000000000000  
  
  
"You're five minutes early."  
  
Steve can feel the tips of his ears turn red.  "I-I can go and come back," he offers.  
  
Karen laughs and takes the bouquet of white roses from his hand, leaning in close to him.  "I think Matt and Foggy want to give you the shovel talk."  
  
"The what?"  Steve echoes.    
  
"The shovel talk, buddy," Foggy says cheerfully, coming out of his office and grinning up at Steve.  "Step into our lovely conference room, will you?  Oh, Matthew.  It's time."  
  
"Coming, Franklin," Matt calls.  He's sitting at his desk in his shirtsleeves, hands dancing over a stack of documents as his fingers trace the Braille characters.  
  
Foggy heaves a weary sigh.  "He knows how much I hate being called 'Franklin'."  
  
A moment later, Matt steps into the room.  Whatever is going on is serious, because he's put his suit jacket on and he's straightening his tie.  Matt closes the door and stands straight, facing Steve.  "You've been out twice with Karen, haven't you, Steven?"  
  
"Yes, but --"  
  
"This is your third date, is it not?"  
  
"Yes, not that it's any of your business," Steve says testily.  "Either of you."  
  
"Actually," Foggy counters.  "It is our business.  Karen's our friend."  
  
"We like her," Matt adds.  
  
"We *care* about her."  
  
"This, Steven, is the infamous 'shovel talk'," Matt explains for Steve's benefit, "in which we, Karen's dear close friends impart to you how important it is that you do not do anything to cause any kind of distress to Karen."  
  
"Not that we could actually hurt you," Foggy puts in.  "But we'd hurt ourselves trying to hurt you if you hurt her."  
  
"I could hurt him," Matt says confidently.  "Nothing permanent, of course, but enough of a hurt that he'd feel it."  
  
Steve blinks.  What.  The.  Hell?  "Is there a problem?  Did I do something?"  
  
"No, and you need to keep it that way, buddy," Foggy tells him.  
  
"Oh my God," Karen groans, opening the door.  "Enough!  Are you two listening to yourselves?  Steve, I am so sorry."  She rolls her eyes at Foggy.  "What did you two do?  Spend the entire day drafting this like one of your closing arguments?"  
  
"Not all day," Foggy mutters.  
  
"We did it over lunch," Matt admits.  "While you were out getting your manicure.  What color did she get, Foggy?"  
  
Foggy leans over and looks at Karen's hands.  "Berry, I think."  
  
"It's 'merlot'," Karen corrects him and grabs Steve's arm.  "You're way too nice, Steve.  Anyone else would have told them to fuck off by now."  
  
"Steve doesn't like that kind of language," Matt calls after them.  
  
"Fuck off, Matt," Steve calls back as he helps Karen into her coat.  He shakes his head at her scandalized expression.  "Everyone forgets that I'm a soldier."  
  
Karen looks up at him, her bright blue eyes dancing with laughter. "Actually, they didn't.  They put 'soldier' and 'third date' together and their twisted little minds took them to a place where they decided you needed a shovel talk."  She snorts.  "Like I couldn't kick your ass myself if you do something stupid."  
  
"Exactly," Steve agrees.  
  
He has no doubt that she could.  
  
She's that amazing.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 

Barnes is sitting on Petey's bed, first aid kit at his side, waiting for the kid to come home. This is his new routine and Barnes has it down to a science. He's done it enough times. In fact, he's done it so often, that he's not even fazed when the kid clambers through the window and drops to the floor in a heap. Okay, he's not fazed but he can't help the worry that makes his shoulders tighten and his jaw clench as he grinds out the question that he finds himself asking at least twice a week, "The hell happened to you this time?"

"I swear I do not know," Petey sighs, tugging off his mask. He closes his eyes and leans back against his bedroom wall.

It's not even a question of whether Petey is hurt because this is *Petey* and it's pretty damn obvious to Barnes that he's hurt. The question is how *badly* and Barnes doesn't voice it because Petey, like Stevie, tends to avoid answering it. Thanks to his extensive experience dealing with Stevie's stubborn self, Barnes can easily handle Peter Parker. And handle he does, starting with the the top of Petey's head and working his way down.

"C'mon, Bucky," Petey complains, swatting at Barnes' hands. "Cut it out. I'm fine."

"You call this goose egg on your noggin fine?" Barnes pokes at it to get the response he expects.

"Owwwww!"

"See? Not fine. Now open those eyes and follow my finger."

For once, Petey does as he's told, following Barnes' finger with his eyes. "See? I'm fine."

"See? You have a concussion, you dumb little punk," Barnes all but growls at him. "Now hold still while I get this suit off you ---"

"Hey! Grabby McGrabbins, I can take off my own Spidey suit," Peter argues, swatting at Barnes' hands again. "I'm fine. Except for the concussion."

All it takes is a look from Barnes and the fight goes out of the kid immediately. 

"You're not going to tell Aunt May about the concussion, are you, Buckster?" Petey wheedles. "I mean, it'll be fine by morning anyway and --"

"Aunt May's out with her coworkers tonight so you don't have to bullshit her about how you're fine." He struggles with the fastenings on Petey's suit for a moment longer than he'd prefer.

"I am --"

"You should know better than to try bullshitting *me* by now," Barnes warns him. The top half of the suit comes off and he gets a good look at the kid's scrawny little torso. "Jesus! You're black and blue all over."

Petey looks down at himself. "Huh. Look at that."

"I am, you little... " Blowing out a frustrated breath, Barnes runs his hands lightly over Petey, inspecting the kid for broken bones. "Were you anywhere near those explosions earlier?"

"What explosions?"

Barnes narrows his eyes at the kid. "Are you sure that's the game you wanna play with me, Petey?"

Petey hits him with an expression that's half sheepish and half puppy dog eyes that works like a charm on his aunt. It's worked a couple of times on Barnes, too. "Uh, maybe I was near those explosions?"

"Maybe," Barnes echoes with a growl. "If you didn't look like a building just fell on you, I'd smack some sense into you myself." He grabs Petey by the shoulders and gives him a little shake, just to let the kid know he's serious. "Mission report. Now!"

"Would you believe a building fell on me?"

"That's not even close to being funny, you little punk."

"Okay, it wasn't the whole building. Just a big chunk of the roof and part of the top floor. A-and I was only unconscious for a minute. Ten, tops. And, yeah, Magneto got away but --"

"Magneto." Barnes takes a deep breath, holds it, then releases it. He never thought he'd miss the days when he didn't feel anything but... Yeah, no. He doesn't miss those days. "You went after the most dangerous mutant on the planet without calling for backup?"

Petey looks absolutely stricken. "No! He came after me!"

"What?!"

"What?"

Barnes stares hard at Petey until the kid starts to squirm under the stare's intensity. "Magneto came after you and dropped *part* of a building on you. Why?"

"Um..." Petey ducks his head. "Actually, I kind of blew him up."

"What?!" Seventy years of suicide missions, HYDRA torture and medical experiments and what's going to put him six feet under is a scrawny fifteen year old kid with spider powers. Barnes doesn't bother trying to hide his annoyance anymore. "That's it, Petey. No more fucking around. Start from the beginning and don't stop talking until I tell you to shut up."

The kid has the temerity to look irritated, like Barnes is being unreasonable somehow. He opens his yap quickly enough though when Barnes fixes him with a cold Winter Soldier glare. Like most of Petey's Spidey stories, this one borders on being so goddamn crazy as to be almost unbelievable. 

"And they were gone," Petey finishes and then sighs wearily. "So yeah, he didn't come after me this time but I bet the next time he sees me..."

"Go shower," Barnes orders. "You're disgusting."

"Huh?" Petey looks at him like he's lost his mind. "You're not going to yell at me, like you usually do?"

"I don't yell." Much. "You got yourself out of a dangerous situation using what was available to you."

Petey squints at him. "I caused property damage and maybe people in the top floor of that building got hurt because of me --"

"I watched the news. Nobody was home." He doesn't tell Petey about the number of dead and injured cops, though. The kid'll find that out for himself later.

"Oh, thank God."

Barnes yanks Petey to his feet and shoves him in the general direction of the bathroom. "Go on, punk. Get cleaned up and I'll order us some pizza."

The kid is smart enough to be suspicious but not smart enough to guess Barnes' next move. He lets Barnes help him to his feet and shuffles into the bathroom.

Barnes waits for the water to start running and then he picks up the phone. "Stevie. Hope I'm not interrupting. The kid did it again."

 

00000000000000000000000000000

 

Matt Murdock's life has taken on a cozy little domestic component in between days of practicing law and nights spent dishing out justice as Daredevil. He's become a parent. To a teenager. To a female, teenage clone of Peter Parker, also known as Spider-Man. It occurs to him, and not for the first time as he lets himself into his apartment, that his life is just a little bit outside the norm.

"Hey Dad," Jessica calls from the sofa.

"Hi." Matt bites back the terms of endearment that could reasonably follow, like 'honey' or 'sweetheart'. Jessica doesn't feel comfortable with them, much to his regret. "How was school?"

"Aced my math test," she responds, "and studying up on my catechism. Go figure the religion part of school is the thing that's making me work the hardest."

He stops in the middle of undoing his tie. "Do you need me to go over it with you?"

"No, I get it," Jessica says, slowly, "it's just... "

"Just what?"

"We're discussing creationism and here I am, made in a lab. The whole faith thing is a little hard for me," she shrugs. "Also, I'm like the only one who doesn't know all the saints and the hymns."

Matt resumes un-knotting his tie. "You know the answer to that. Study harder. Catch up and surpass."

"That's why I'm studying," Jessica assures him. "How was work?"

"Foggy and I gave Steve the shovel talk."

"Oh my God! You didn't!"

"We did."

"Was Karen mortified?"

"Not as much as Steve." He laughs at the memory. "We didn't really need to do it, but Foggy insisted. It was worth it, just to hear Steve swear."

"I like the idea of them together," Jessica says. 

"Who'd have thought Foggy could play matchmaker?" Matt steps out of the bedroom, dressed in a comfortable pair of sweats. "How was web-slinging with Kate?"

"We met *after* therapy --"

"I know. Your doctor is under strict instructions to call me if you miss a session."

There's a sniff of indignation. "Since when?"

"Since last week when you blew off a non-refundable session to stop that bank robbery. While I agree that you did the right thing, I'm not Tony Stark and those sessions aren't cheap. Also, you neglected to mention it."

"Um... Sorry?"

"Sorry translates to Saturday at the office, helping me index documents, Jessica."

"Index what?"

Matt smiles. "You'll learn, little Spider-paralegal. I promise, you'll learn." He settles next to her on the sofa. "Is your homework done?"

"Almost. Are you going out tonight?"

"I've been hearing some rumors I want to check out." Their banter is almost routine and it's comforting. Matt lets himself focus on Jessica, picking up each and every one of the subtle, positive changes in her personality and basking in them.

She sets her textbook down and there's a short, sharp inhalation as Jessica twists around to face him. "That's who he reminded me of. You."

"Who reminded you of me?" Matt asks curiously.

"This weird old guy on the rooftop. He seemed familiar and I couldn't think of the reason why until I saw you doing your thing."

"My thing?"

"When you focus," Jessica clarifies. "You sort of tilt your head a little and your shoulders sort of set and... He held himself like that."

There's no increase in her pulse or her respiration. He can't smell anyone else on her. Matt keeps his voice calm. "What makes you say he was weird?"

"He told me I was sloppy and stupid and then he did a whole ninja disappearing act." She shakes her head. "He didn't register on my Spidey sense. If he were younger, I'd say we have a new mask in town. Maybe he's --"

"Stay away from him. If you see him again, don't talk, don't listen. Just go," Matt says, getting to his feet. He crosses the room quickly, opening the closet and pulling out his suit. "Promise me, Jessica. This isn't like blowing off something on your schedule. It's serious and I need to trust that --"

"Who is he?"

Stick. Dammit. Who else could it be? "Nobody you need to concern yourself with. Now, promise me."

"Sure. I promise." Jessica stands up. "You're not having dinner tonight?"

"I'm getting an early start," Matt tells her, tugging off his sweats and yanking on the body armor. "Finish your homework and make sure you're in bed at ten." He considers warning her about Stick paying a visit but decides there's no need to concern her with that. 

He can worry enough for both of them. 

 

00000000000000000000000

 

"Is everything okay?"

Steve sets his cell phone down on Karen's coffee table, next to his sketchbook. "It's not an emergency."

"But it's something," Karen says, pulling a dish out of the oven and setting it on top of the stove to cool.

He makes a show of sniffing the air. "That smells delicious."

"My grandmother's recipe and you're changing the subject." Karen flashes him a winning smile and comes over to stand in front of him. "You forget who I work with, Steve. Two expert subject changers who weren't as expert as they thought when it came to Matt being the Devil of Hell's Kitchen. Anyway, whatever it was upset you because you have that little line right here..." Her fingertip touches his forehead gently. "Maybe I can't help, but I can listen."

Steve rubs the back of his neck. "That was Bucky. Peter got himself into... You know about Peter, right?"

"That he's Spider-man? Yes, and I still have trouble wrapping my head around it," Karen says. "Matt, as a vigilante sort of makes sense. Peter? Sweet little Peter Parker? Whose female clone is Matt's adopted daughter. Crazy stuff." She chuckles softly. "What trouble did he get himself into this time?"

"Apparently, he cut class this afternoon to stop a young man who could cause explosions just by thinking about them and they both almost ended up getting recruited by Magneto," Steve tells her. "He antagonized the exploding boy so that the boy took out Magneto or Peter thinks that's what happened. Part of a building fell on him in the process."

Karen rubs her chin and looks thoughtful. "I have no idea what to say to that other than tequila."

"Tequila?"

"Something that crazy calls for tequila."

"I can't get drunk," Steve tells her. "At least not on that. Tony's come up with some kind of rotgut for me though and Thor's Asgardian liquor also does the job."

Karen laughs softly, leans in and kisses his cheek. "I'll say this for you, Steve, your problems are like nobody else's."

He can feel the blush run from the tips of his ears straight down. "I-is that bad?"

"You wouldn't be here eating my grandmother's secret recipe if it was."

"On our third date, too," Steve muses. "I'm still catching up on things. Is there something special about the third date that earned me today's shovel talk?"

It's Karen's turn to blush and, as with everything else she does, it's utterly adorable. "Um... Well, yes. The, uh, the third date..."

"Yes?" 

"It's the sex date," she mumbles and then she catches his expression. "You shit! You knew that! You utter shit! I can't believe I fell for that! No, I can't believe Captain America is such a shit!"

Steve is laughing so hard that he's doubled over. "I'm sorry. No really. I'm --"

"A shit!"

"Yes."

Karen starts laughing. "I love it! I love that it took two whole dates for me to see this side of you. And I love that probably nobody else knows you even have this side."

"Very few," Steve admits. "Bucky and Peter. Matt might suspect it but he can't prove it."

"That makes you even more of a shit."

"I know."

She laughs even harder and then she kisses him. "Just so we're clear. The sex date thing is a guideline and not a rule. It hasn't escaped my notice that you're still on the hand-holding and hands above the waist phase of things."

"I'm trying to be respectful," Steve explains. "You're a swell da -- uh, lady."

"Oh my God. Were you about to call me a swell dame?"

He winces. "Sorry."

"Are you kidding? That's frigging great! You keep on being respectful and sweet like that, Steve Rogers, and you're going to go places." Her blue eyes practically sparkle at him. "Third date kind of places. When you're ready, of course."

"Well, I guess that makes getting the Matt and Foggy shovel talk worth it then."

They both laugh.

He can't wait to tell Bucky.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
  
  
"Magneto?"  
  
"Shhh!"  Peter gives Mary Jane the stink eye.  "Come on.  We talked about this."  
  
"You come on!"  She shoves him lightly.  "You just told me you met the scariest mutant on the planet and you blew him up!  How am I supposed to react?"  
  
"I was hoping you'd react quietly."  
  
Mary Jane rolls her eyes and gestures to the empty bleachers all around them.  "We're the only ones here, which is why we even came out here in the first place.  In the cold.  Which is why we're the only ones out here."  
  
He hangs his head.  "Sound carries, remember?"  
  
She blows out a frustrated sigh and whispers, "Fine.  But seriously.  Mag-freaking-neto!  Ka-boom!  That's crazy!"  
  
"It is."  
  
"I'll bet he's pissed."  
  
"Probably."  
  
"If he survived."  
  
"Oh, he survived all right," Peter sighs.  "First of all, when would I ever be that lucky?  Second, Nick Fury's First Rule About Bad Guys specifically states if there's no body they're not dead.  The second rule is that they almost always come back.  So he's alive, he's probably ticked and he's going to come after me."  
  
"Why wouldn't he be ticked at the Gelding guy?  Technically, he's the one who exploded," Mary Jane points out.    
  
"Geldoff," Peter corrects her.  "And everyone's always mad at me."  
  
"Not everyone."  
  
Peter eyes her.  "Everyone."  
  
"Steve and Bucky --"  
  
"Are making me go to the Tower for a talking to after school."  He leans back against the bench and stares up at the grey autumn sky.  "Bucky called Steve after I got home last night and told him what happened.  Steve told Bucky to bring me over immediately after school to 'discuss' it."  
  
"Bucky ratted you out?" Mary Jane starts to laugh.  "And he's picking you up after school?"  
  
"It's not funny."  
  
"Yes, it is."  She kicks him lightly with her boot.  "And you don't know that Steve is mad at you.  He's probably concerned.  I mean, it takes all o' the X-Men to stop Magneto, right?"  
  
"So what?  You think he's going to congratulate me for blowing up the world's most dangerous mutant terrorist and causing God only knows how much property damage in the process?" Peter shoots back.  "Know what I think?  I think he's going to confiscate my suit and my web-shooters and make Bucky babysit me.  Not that Bucky's not doing that already.  He waits for me to come home every night so he can check me for injuries and 'debrief' me."  
  
Mary Jane is giving him a serious look.  "He does that?  Since when?"  
  
"Since we got back from the Grand Canyon."  
  
"That's really sweet, him looking out for you," she concludes.    
  
"It's not --"  
  
"It is!"  Her expression turns serious and her eyes flash at him.  "Don't forget, I've seen how you look after a fight and I was the one who helped you duck out of the hospital when you got shot.  So before you go on being ungrateful, think about what it's like to be on this side of things and then apologize to Bucky because I'm sure you gave him a hard time."  
  
"I didn't."  
  
Mary Jane raises an eyebrow.  
  
"Okay, I did."  
  
She nods.  "Today.  After school.  Apologize.  And you know what?  I'm going to bake him some cookies."  
  
Peter stares at her.  "Since when do you know how to bake cookies?"  
  
Mary Jane shrugs.  "Since they come in those tubes and all you have to do is preheat the oven and put the dough on a cookie tray and bake for ten to twelve minutes."  
  
"You never bake me cookies."  
  
"Bucky needs them more."  
  
"Damn right I do."  Bucky peers down at them from a bench two rows above.  "The security in this place is a joke, by the way."  He flashes a smile at Mary Jane.  "I like peanut butter cookies."  
  
She blows him a kiss.  "Done."  
  
Peter's gaze ticks from one to the other.  "What're you doing here?"  
  
"You and I have a meeting with the dean in fifteen minutes," Bucky tells him.  
  
"What?"    
  
Bucky climbs down to sit next to Peter.  "The dean's office called the house this morning about your unexplained absence yesterday.  Apparently, you've done that quite a bit these last few months, Petey.  And since Aunt May was at work, they agreed to meet with your very responsible cousin James Reilly."  He points at the battered Army jacket which bears a patch reading, 'Reilly.'  "You're not the only one with a secret identity anymore, kiddo.  Since Aunt May likes to pass me off as a cousin, I've got paperwork showing I'm from her side of the family."  
  
Mary Jane runs a finger over the sergeant's stripes on the jacket.  "No promotion?"  
  
"You'd think, but no."    
  
Peter is staring wide-eyed at Bucky.  "Y-you can't meet with the dean --"  
  
"You'd rather your aunt does it and finds out what you were doing yesterday and with who, punk?"  Bucky directs a stern look in Peter's direction.    
  
Mary Jane gives Peter a sharp kick to his shin.  
  
"Owww!"  
  
"You're being ungrateful again," she tells him and then for good measure, cuffs him lightly across the head.  "And you're supposed to apologize to Bucky, not be a pain in his keister."  
  
Bucky raises his eyebrows and gives Peter an expectant look.  
  
"I'm sorry for being ungrateful and for giving you a hard time," Peter tells him.  
  
The former assassin eyes Peter and then grabs him in a bear hug.  "Apology accepted, you little punk."  He lets go of Peter and hugs Mary Jane.  "Thank you, baby doll, for keeping his stubborn ass in line."  
  
"It's a full time job," she grins.    
  
"Tell me about it."  
  
Peter rolls his eyes.  
  
Bucky gets to his feet.  "Come on, kid.  We don't wanna be late."  
  
Grabbing his backpack, Peter follows Bucky into the school, up to the second floor administrative offices.  Bucky doesn't even ask for directions and Peter has a feeling that Bucky did reconnaissance prior to this meeting.  
  
Bucky pauses outside Dean Reynolds' office and grips Peter's shoulders.  "Number one, I do the talking.  Number two, you do not call me 'Bucky' in there.  It's James or Cousin James.  Got me?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
"You wearing your suit under there?"  Bucky asks, poking at Peter's sweater and then adds, "And don't lie.  I want the truth."  
  
Peter narrows his eyes suspiciously.  "No, it's in my backpack."  
  
"Good.  Remember, mouth shut."  He grabs Peter by the arm and hauls him into the office, dragging Peter right up to the secretary's desk.  "James Reilly and Peter Parker to see Dean Reynolds."  
  
"One moment, Mister Reilly."  The secretary picks up her phone and presses a button.  "Go right in.  Dean Reynolds is ready to see you."  
  
Bucky's grip on Peter's arm remains tight as he steers him into the dean's office.  His entire posture shifts from the casual, sometimes-predatory stance that Peter is used to seeing into something stiffer and more formal.  Military.  "Thanks for agreeing to meet with me, sir."  
  
Reynolds' posture straightens to match Bucky's.  "A pleasure, Sergeant.  Where did you serve, if you don't mind my asking?"  
  
"Two tours.  Iraq and Afghanistan."  
  
"I did a tour during the first Gulf War," Reynolds says.  They nod at each other and then Reynolds gestures to the guest chairs.  "Please, have a seat, Sergeant Reilly."  
  
"Thank you," Bucky pushes Peter into a chair and then sits.  
  
Reynolds sits and flips open Peter's folder, glancing down at the contents and then frowning up at Bucky.  "Peter is, for the most part, an excellent student," he begins.  "There was a period late last spring where Peter's grades dipped but according to Ms. Hester's notes that was around the time Peter's uncle passed.  That was also the time Peter's attendance began to become, shall we say, spotty."  
  
Peter swallows.  
  
"I also have reports of Peter falling asleep during class, getting into verbal altercations with other students and..."  Reynolds eyes Peter.  "One particularly memorable exchange with his social studies teacher about the effectiveness of the criminal justice system for which he was sent to my office and given a week's detention."  
  
Peter slumps in his seat, wishing the floor could open up and swallow him whole.  Or maybe Magneto could come and finish him off.  Anything, Peter is sure, would be better than this.  
  
"On the other hand," Reynolds goes on, "Peter's grades are at the top of his class.  His classwork -- when he shows up -- is exemplary."  The dean eyes Peter again.  "Now I know, things have been a little... chaotic here recently.  We've had several incidents at the school involving Spider-man and other... strange individuals.   Those incidents have caused emotional distress to several students, which is why we offer counseling.  I'd like to suggest, Sergeant Reilly, that counseling might be exactly what young Mr. Parker needs."  
  
Bucky nods slowly and then asks, "Do any of those records mention that Peter's being bullied on a daily basis?"  
  
Peter's mouth drops open.  "Buc --"  
  
"Bullied," Bucky cuts him off.  He grabs Peter's arm with his cybernetic hand and hauls Peter to his feet.  Using his free hand, Bucky tugs up Peter's sweater, exposing the bruises on Peter's torso.  "Look at this.  That Flash Thompson kid throws Petey into lockers and knocks him down and you wonder why Petey doesn't want to spend a second more than he has to in this place?"  
  
"I --"  
  
"Don't tell me you have no idea.  His gym teacher knows.  His science teacher sees it.  I'm willing to bet almost all of the faculty knows about it and you've all done nothing because the other kid brings home the trophies."  Bucky jerks a thumb at Peter.  "This kid brings home the Stark science medal.  Who's looking out for him?"  Bucky narrows his eyes at Reynolds and hits him with a cold, Winter Soldier glare.  "Up until a few months ago, the answer was nobody.  Now, Petey has me and if he comes home with these kinds of bruises again, there's gonna be hell to pay, Reynolds, you got me?"  
  
Reynolds pales and nods.    
  
"Now, I'm going to write a note for Petey because the kid came home yesterday with an upset stomach," Bucky goes on.  "No doubt from the stress of having to worry about being picked on by someone twice his size."  
  
"All right," Reynolds agrees quickly.  
  
"If anyone needs counseling, it's that Thompson kid," Bucky concludes brusquely.  "Are we done here, Private?"  
  
"Sir, yes sir," Reynolds barks.  
  
"At ease, Reynolds."  With that, Bucky grabs Peter's backpack and hustles him out of Reynolds' office, down the hall and into a stairwell.  His eyes narrow as he stares down at Peter.  "If you never want Aunt May to find out about that conversation, you're won't cut class, fall asleep in class or sass your teachers again, got me?"  
  
Peter nods, unable to speak.  He's absolutely reeling.  What the *hell* just happened?  
  
"You're a good kid," Bucky says firmly. "You'd better make sure you act like one."  
  
"I-I will.  I promise."  Peter looks down at his sneakers, takes a deep breath and asks, "H-how'd you know he was a private?"  
  
"I can tell."    
  
They stare at each other in silence and then Peter heaves a relieved sigh. "Thank you, Bucky."  
  
"Don't thank me yet, punk.  You've still got your meeting with Stevie this afternoon."  
  
Yikes.  
  
  
  
  



	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
  
  
  
  
"Are those girls making fun of your hair?" Kate asks, detaching herself from the railing of the stairs where she's been lounging, waiting for Jessica to get out of school for the day.  
  
Jessica rolls her eyes.  "Gina and Jane make Flash Thompson look like a cream puff."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Huh?"  Jessica gives herself a mental head slap.  "Uh, not my memory and not my bully.  Sorry.  But yes.  You'd think that when everyone dresses alike, there'd be nothing for people to mock, but you'd be wrong.  Today it's my hair.  For the last two weeks it's been that I won't wear a skirt."  She asks quietly, "Is there something wrong with my hair?"  
  
Kate eyes her. "Do you want the nice answer or do you want the truth?"  
  
"Why didn't you say anything?!"  
  
"Uh, hello, I was with you for your hella scary first visit to the MAC cosmetics counter, remember?" Kate reminds her.  "And also during the eyebrow salon visit --"  
  
"You swore you'd never mention that again!"  
  
"I lied."  Kate's eyes narrow as she grabs a section of Jessica's hair.  "If you promise to behave yourself, I can book you an appointment with my stylist.  And you have to behave because Cezarina is still freaked out over your reaction to eyebrow waxing."  
  
Jessica sighs wearily.  "Being a girl is exhausting and more than a little traumatizing."  
  
"Eyebrow waxing is not just for girls anymore."  
  
"Seriously?"  
  
"Clint does it."  
  
"He does not."  
  
"I took him once and now he's hooked," Kate declares proudly.  "And his eyebrows have never looked better.  I've got him getting decent haircuts now and my next project is manicures.  Want to go get a manicure before we go take a bite out of crime?"  
  
"I can't.  It's Thursday," Jessica reminds her.  
  
Kate makes a face.  "Slave labor day."  
  
"It's not," Jessica protests.  "I-it's interesting."  
  
They start walking towards Matt's office and Kate keeps her pace slow as she comments, "Lawyers are the most boring people on earth.  I don't know how you stand all that paperwork."  
  
"Being a lawyer is a lot like being a crime fighter.  You have to look for evidence and prove your case.  Matt and Foggy are working on an insurance case for this nice woman whose son has leukemia and the insurance company refuses to cover treatment.  We're doing this thing called discovery, where we request documents and the insurance company sent over boxes of hard copy documents, just to screw with Matt.  So now we have to go through everything --"  
  
"And that's what you're doing today."

"That's what I'm helping with."  Jessica fiddles with the strap of her backpack.  "Besides, my own research into the blind ninja went nowhere.  Did you know that if you Google 'blind ninja', you get a band?"  
  
"What blind ninja?" Kate asks.  
  
"The old guy on the roof yesterday.  Matt seemed to know him and I got the impression he was blind, too.  But I couldn't find any hits and Matt wouldn't say anything except stay away from the guy if I saw him again."  
  
Kate rubs her chin.  "Did you hunt through the old SHIELD files?"  
  
"I thought I did --"  
  
"They've been slowly vanishing from the web, so maybe you didn't.  I have a full set of everything that leaked," Kate grins, "and I've been building a database.  If anyone knew anything about blind old geezer ninjas, it'd be Nick Fury and his goons.  And, by proxy, Clint, who was technically one of Fury's goons.  Tell you what, you go run along and play with your paperwork and I'll do some snooping for you."  
  
Jessica feels a flash of guilt.  "Maybe we shouldn't.  Matt said --"  
  
"He said to stay away from the guy.  He didn't say not to do research."  Kate grins.  "You're going to be a lawyer, Jess.  You should learn to appreciate nuances."  
  
"I'm not going to be a lawyer."  
  
"Oh, yes you are."  Kate is smirking now.  "You're a daddy's girl and you're going to be a lawyer just like your daddy.  You've got a big ol' daddy crush on Matt, too."  
  
"Ewww!  No, I don't!" Jessica protests.  "I'm not!"  
  
Kate's expression grows serious.  "Yeah, you are and you know what?  I'm jealous.  My father and I barely speak these days.  When I was little, I used to be a daddy's girl and he'd take me into the office and let me read manuscripts for children's books.  We don't do that anymore.  Like, ever."  
  
"I-I'm sorry --"  
  
"It's just how it is," Kate shrugs.  "This thing you've got with Matt?  He cares.  Really cares.  I know I make fun of how he checks your homework and everything but you know what?  The last person who checked my homework was my nanny and that was when I was eight."  
  
"Matt would probably check your homework too.  I think you're growing on him."  They're in front of Matt and Foggy's office now and Jessica's fingers trace the Braille characters on the sign.  "If you're really looking for a father figure, he can put you on a schedule, too."  
  
Kate snorts.  "No thanks."  Her expression grows serious again.  "You should tell him."  
  
Jessica feels a frisson of fear.  "Tell him what?  About the Googling?"  
  
"No, dummy!  That you love him."  
  
"Th-that what?!"  
  
"You.  Love.  Matt."  Kate rolls her eyes again.  "Stop looking so scandalized.  You love your dad.  There's nothing wrong with it.  I mean, yeah, you're a teenager so you're supposed to be driving him up with the wall and being all moody and miserable.  You can still do all those things but you should tell him."  
  
Jessica frowns.  "Are you going to tell yours?"  
  
"The way I love my dad," Kate explains, "is...  It's not what you guys have.  Matt's probably dying to say it out loud to you himself.  You've seen the way he puffs up when you call him 'dad' right?"  
  
"Um, no..."  
  
"For somebody who's so smart, you're such a social reject sometimes," Kate groans.  "I was there when you started calling him 'dad', remember?  The guy practically glowed.  He loves you so much, he -- he...  God, I don't know.  But some kind of sappy sentiment.  So if you love him -- and you so obviously do, *tell* him."  She moves closer to Jessica and adds, "Clint is like a dad to me."  
  
"So are you going to tell Clint you love him?" Jessica asks.  
  
"Hell, no!  I'll tell Clint his haircut sucks and make fun of his purple shirts."  Kate eyes her.  "Clint is not Matt.  I mean, if my dad kicked me out, sure Clint'd let me room with him and whatnot but it's not what you have.  Just tell him.  I'm not saying to go up there right now and blurt it out like a spaz but ---"  
  
"Oh crap.  Oh my God."  Jessica moans and buries her face in her hand.  "I don't need to go up there and blurt it out.  Look where we are."  She points at the law firm plaque.  "He's probably heard every word of this conversation."  
  
Kate starts to laugh.  "You are so screwed, daddy's girl."  
  
  
  
  
000000000000000000000000000  
  
  
  
  
"How did it go with Peter's dean?" Steve greets Bucky and Peter.  They're in the kitchen, just off the Tower's common area and he's leaning against the counter, sipping a fresh cup of coffee.  "Peter, have a glass of milk."  
  
Bucky gives Peter a shove towards the refrigerator.  "Get your cousin James one, too."  
  
"You're drinking milk, Buck?"  
  
"Wasn't it a big treat for us, growin' up?" Bucky counters.  His eyes track Peter's every movement as he says, "I got the brat over there out of trouble and stirred some up for that fathead, Flash Thompson."  
  
Peter hangs his head.  "Bucky showed Dean Reynolds my bruises from yesterday and said Flash was responsible."  
  
"That's dishonest, Buck," Steve chides him.  
  
Bucky rolls his eyes and takes the glass of milk from Peter.  "We grew up during the Depression, Stevie."  
  
"What's that got to do with anything?"  
  
"Waste not, want not."  
  
"I don't think --"  
  
"I do," Bucky cuts him off, the lazy grin vanishing from his face.  "Petey puts up with that crap every day and it's makin' him miserable."  
  
"It isn't --"  Peter starts to protest.  
  
"No?"  Bucky narrows his eyes at the boy.  "I live with you, remember?"  His gaze snaps back to Steve.  "Little man here's cut class more than just this once to go fight crime, Stevie."  
  
Steve frowns at Peter who turns an impressive shade of red.  "That's not acceptable, Peter."  
  
"Yeah? Well, where were *you* yesterday?" Peter fires back.  
  
"Dealing with something else."  
  
Peter's eyes narrow in thought as he stares up at Steve.  "Something else involving the X-Men?  Magneto said they were busy elsewhere."  
  
"Sorry, son, that's classified," Steve tells him.  "But speaking of the X-Men --"  
  
"No."  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"I said no," Peter says firmly.  "You don't get to stand there and tell me how it's not acceptable to cut class when some nut ball is out there killing cops.  What was I supposed to do, Steve?  Sit there and let people die?"  
  
"Did you actually save anyone?" Steve counters.  
  
"I stopped Geldoff."  
  
"Did you really?"  Steve folds his arms across his chest and leans back against the kitchen counter, staring down at Peter.   "Because as far as I've been informed, he escaped your custody with Magneto after causing significant property damage."  
  
"I had him!  I-I just...  I didn't know what to do with him," Peter finishes in a mumble.  "He was too dangerous for me to hand over to the cops and SHIELD wasn't there."  His head cocks to the side.  "What do we do with super-powered bad guys, Steve?"  
  
"Nobody from SHIELD was there?"  
  
"No!"  Peter's gaze turns suspicious.  "Are they supposed to be?"  
  
"Sounds like it to me," Bucky cuts in, hitting Steve with a suspicous stare of his own.  "You've got them babysitting Petey?"  
  
"No," Steve says slowly.  "But the agreement is that they're on hand to accept custody whenever Peter tangles with some of his more unusual adversaries.  They picked up that Geldoff boy this morning in Staten Island."  
  
Bucky's eyebrows rise.  "Did they now?"  
  
"He's a Latverian national and Doom's people started making noise about his disappearance yesterday," Steve explains.  "I imagine that Magneto would prefer not to get into a disagreement with Doom over a kid who may not be a mutant."  
  
Peter and Bucky exchange looks.  
  
"There's no confirmation," Steve continues, "at least none that anyone's willing to give me, but Natasha thinks that the Geldoff boy is the product of genetic tampering and not an actual mutant."  He takes a deep breath.  "And speaking of mutants, as I tried to say before, I had a conversation with Charles this morning about Peter's encounter with Magneto.  Charles is under the impression that Magneto may not care whether Peter actually has the X gene.  He's apparently recruited other genetic anomolies before.  The thing is, Peter, Charles believes that Magneto is going to reach out to you again.  We both agree that you should open a dialogue with him."  
  
Peter goes pale.  "B-but --"  
  
"I know what I'm asking you to do is dangerous but if you can get any insight as to what he's planning or where he's hiding, that would be invaluable."    
  
Bucky bristles.  "Are you out of your mind, Stevie?"  
  
"I said a dialogue, Buck.  I didn't ask Peter to go undercover," Steve shoots back.  "If I didn't think Peter could do it, I wouldn't be asking now."  
  
"Asking or ordering?" Bucky demands, one hand curling protectively over Peter's shoulder.  
  
Steve's gaze ticks from Bucky to Peter and back again.  "It doesn't matter whether I ask or order.  Magneto is going to make another overture and the only variable is how Peter responds."  
  
"Magneto's not the kind of guy you say no to," Peter pipes up.  
  
"If you were an adult, Peter, that would be the case, but you're not and Magneto won't harm a child, even one as powerful as you are."    
  
"According to Charles Xavier?" Bucky asks, his words dripping with sarcasm.  
  
Peter turns around and frowns up at Bucky.  "I know that look.  You're thinking about how you can tail me and make sure Magneto doesn't hurt me."  
  
Bucky raises an eyebrow.  "And?"  
  
"You've got a metal arm and almost your entire left side is metal to support it!  And you use guns and knives, which are also metal!"  Peter's fists rest on his hips and his body is practically vibrating.  "He'll kill you!"  
  
"He can try."  
  
"Dude, Logan's entire skeleton is coated with adamantium and *he* can't take Magneto by himself.  You're not tailing me!"  Peter turns to Steve.  "You agree with me!  I know you do!"  
  
"He's right, Buck," Steve agrees.  
  
Bucky rolls his eyes.  "Go do your homework while the adults argue, Petey."  
  
"B-but --"  
  
"You have homework, brat?"  
  
"Well, yeah, but --"  
  
"No buts," Bucky tells him firmly.  "Otherwise, it's gonna be my metal hand comin' down on yours.  Got me?"  
  
Peter snatches up his bookbag.  
  
"Take a snack with you," Bucky adds.  "You know you're hungry.  And make it something healthy."  
  
Steve watches, incredulous, as Peter refills his glass of milk and takes two apples and a banana out of the refrigerator before leaving the room.

Bucky cocks his head slightly, as if daring Steve to say anything.  "He needs a firm hand sometimes.  Just like you did.  Except with him, I can make sure he eats right all the time instead of only when we've got the dough for it."  
  
"You're acting like his father."  
  
"If I am, it's because he needs one."  Bucky's eyes narrow at Steve.  "And as Petey's almost-dad, I'm saying you're acting more like his CO than his friend.  This Magneto guy is dangerous and I don't think --"  
  
"He's going to come at Peter whether we want it or not.  The only way it won't happen is if Peter doesn't go out in costume and even then..."  Steve sighs and runs a hand through his hair.  "Even then, he probably knows Peter's identity."  
  
"What makes you think that?"  
  
"With Peter, it's safest to assume the dangerous ones know who he is."  Steve lets out a breath and lets his shoulders sag.  "He's right, Buck.  You can't watch his six on this one, not with all that metal.  That doesn't mean I don't have JARVIS on him and I'm going to have Clint start tailing him.  A wooden arrow can take Lensherr out as easily as a bullet."  
  
"This kid, Stevie..."  
  
"I know."  He flashes a weak smile at Bucky.  "Makes you nostalgic for all the shit I pulled, huh?"  
  
"Stevie," Bucky says and he's not smiling.  "Who're you kidding? If you had Petey's abilities at that age, you'd have gotten into the exact same shit, if not worse."  
  
Steve's smile fades.  "I wasn't that bad."  
  
"I don't remember a lot but what I do remember?  I beg to differ."    
  
"I was not that bad!"  
  
"Look at what you do now."  
  
"I --"  
  
"It's exhausting worrying about you two numbskulls all the time."  
  
"I don't --"  
  
"Right."  Bucky rolls his eyes.  "Tell me something good.  Tell me how it's going with Karen.  Did you get lucky?"  
  
Steve can't help the blush that starts at the tips of his ears and spreads down his neck.  "Bucky!"  
  
"Third date, Stevie," Bucky cajoles.  "Not that it even matters these days.  Women are a lot wilder now and I have to admit, I like it."  
  
"Karen's not wild," Steve protests.  "She's..."  
  
"She's what?"  
  
"Smart.  Fun.  Beautiful."  He smiles, thinking about last night.  "And a really good cook."  
  
"She cooked for you?  Jesus, Stevie, do you know what that means?"  
  
"Uh..."  
  
"It means you've got yourself a girlfriend!"  Bucky laughs and grabs Steve in a headlock.  "Good for you, punk!"  
  
"You know," Steve tells him, "I'm strong enough to get out of your headlocks now."  
  
"Really?  I seem to recall you had some difficulty on a certain helicarrier."  
  
"I let you win."  
  
"Let's see you break my headlock then."  
  
Steve grins.  Tony will forgive any property damage.    
  
He hopes.

 

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
  
  
  
Barnes' memories of 'before' are split into 'before' he fell from the train and 'before' he broke free from HYDRA's control.  These memories are fragmented and confusing.  Sometimes they're painful.  The memories of Steve are like individual rays of sunshine that warm him from the inside out.  Usually.  Right now, Barnes is remembering a kitchen and a broken chair.  "How pissed was your ma, Stevie?"  
  
Steve pauses, the splintered remains of Stark's kitchen chair in hand.  "She was disappointed in our shoddy repair job."  His mouth curves into a smile and he looks every bit the ten year old boy that Barnes is remembering, right down to the disheveled hair and the untucked shirt.  "Did you just remember that?"  
  
"Must've jarred something loose when you knocked my head into the floor," Barnes teases, doing his best imitation of Petey's wounded puppy look and adds in a perfect imitation of Petey's whining that usually accompanies the look, "That *hurt*, Stevie."  
  
"Really, Buck, I get that look every time I knock Peter on his ass during training."   
  
"Yeah, but you're not immune to it, are you?"  
  
"I'm working on it."    
  
They both laugh.  
  
Barnes gets to his feet, gathers up the remains of the chair and cocks his head.  "Speaking of the brat, he's been awfully quiet.  You'd figure he'd have at least come to see what all the ruckus was about."  
  
"JARVIS?  Where's Peter?" Steve asks.  
  
"Peter is in the laboratory with Sir."  
  
Barnes' smile fades.  "Did he finish his homework?"  
  
"Unknown, Sergeant Barnes."  
  
"This kid," Barnes mutters.  "He's like one of those nervous little dogs, with the same attention span."  
  
Steve raises an eyebrow.  "You're checking his homework now, Buck?"   
  
"Now I am."  Barnes shoots him a look that dares him to argue.  "Murdock does it with Jessica and I'm betting she doesn't so much as put a toe over the line.  And before you tell me what a nice girl she is, let me remind you who they made her out of."  
  
"Clint calls him Dad-Devil," Steve says, lips twitching.  "I guess he'd call you the Winter Father."  
  
"Laugh it up, Stevie," Barnes growls.  "But do it on the way to Stark's lab.  I wanna see what's so important that he's sneaking off to do it."  
  
The trip to the lab takes less than two minutes and Barnes holds out an arm, blocking Steve's way.  He wants to observe Petey in action for a moment and, truth be told, calm his own nerves about willingly setting foot into a lab.  Petey and Stark are bent over something and there are holographic schematics hovering in the air over their heads.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Barnes opens the lab door and announces his presence.  "Finished your homework, Petey?"  
  
Peter startles so hard that he leaps straight upwards and clings to the ceiling.    
  
"I never get tired of seeing that," Stark says, with a chuckle.  
  
The boy drops down, landing in a crouch in front of Barnes and then stands, his head cocking to one side.  "Uh, hi."  
  
"Did you finish your homework?" Barnes repeats.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Show me."  
  
Petey's eyes narrow in frustration and he looks over at Steve who nods his support of Barnes.  "Seriously?  We're doing this now?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
With a put-upon sigh, Petey grabs his backpack and pulls out his notebook, flipping it open to show Barnes a series of complicated equations.  "Math homework."  Another flip and more complicated equations.  "Chemistry."  Flip.  "French homework.  The rest of my assignments were reading for History and English."  
  
"You got that done awfully fast, Petey," Barnes remarks, not bothering to hide his skepticism.  
  
Petey shrugs.  "It's kind of...um, easy."  
  
"Your aunt should let you skip a grade," Stark puts in.  "Or three."  
  
"Uncle Ben thought it was important for me to be around kids my own age," Peter says, distaste for kids his own age evident in his tone.  "He was okay with me taking the advanced placement classes for college credit, though."  He sighs heavily.  "I'd love to be in college right now, actually learning something for a change."  
  
"Is that what you're doing here?" Barnes asks.  He makes a mental note to look into college and to talk to Aunt May about the kid being bored with school work that doesn't challenge him.  "Learning something?"  
  
Peter reaches onto the worktable and holds up his web shooter.  "I'm solving a problem.  You guys want me to make nice with friggin' Magneto, I'd prefer to do it with web shooters that aren't made out of metal."  
  
"Good boy," Steve praises him and comes over to examine the schematics.  "Is this the new design?"  
  
"Potentially," Petey says.  "We need to make sure that the plastic doesn't react with my molecular adhesive formula, impacting elasticity, density and tensile strength.  Also, the plastic needs to be sturdy enough to handle me being, um, thrown around."  
  
"I'll have those results tomorrow," Stark promises.  "And I'll have JARVIS create the molds in the meantime so that you'll have your new web shooters as soon as possible."  
  
"Thanks, Tony."  
  
Stark's eyes linger greedily on Barnes' left sleeve.  "Need any maintenance there, Buckaroo?"  
  
"Yes," Petey answers quickly for Barnes.  "I've been doing some routine stuff and I repaired a damaged servo but he needs a full diagnostic --"  
  
"Petey!"  
  
"I'm not completely certain," Petey goes on as if Barnes hadn't spoken, "but I think there might be a slight response lag in two fingers that could be a weakened connection between the wiring and his nerves.  If you want, I can pull up my notes --"  
  
"Petey!"  Barnes grabs the kid by the shoulder and hauls him over to where Steve is standing.  "What the hell are you doing?"  
  
The kid raises his chin and looks Barnes dead in the eye.  "Just because you were conditioned not to acknowledge when something hurts you doesn't mean it doesn't hurt or that we haven't noticed.  That *I* haven't noticed.  The arm is hurting you."  He reaches up and touches Barnes' shoulder, just at the point where metal joins skin.  "You can actually feel how it's inflamed and that's with your healing factor."  
  
It doesn't surprise Barnes in the least when Stevie joins the discussion.  "Let Tony look, Buck.  You haven't had anyone look you over since you came in.  Don't you think it's time?"  
  
Barnes' gaze ticks between the two of them.  "Did you little bastards plan this?"  
  
"No," Petey tells him.  "At least not until you poked your head in down here.  I was hoping I could talk you into lettting Tony take a look but..."  He trails off and straightens his posture.  "It goes both ways, y'know."  
  
"What goes both ways?"  
  
"This thing..." Petey gestures vaguely.  "You with the patching up and the lecturing about balanced meals and whatnot but don't forget I get to patch you up and make sure you eat right too."  
  
"We both do," Steve puts in.  
  
"And it's not like I can't help Tony run the diagnostics," Petey adds.  "Or maybe do the testing under his supervision."  
  
Barnes is tempted to throttle them but dammit, they're right.  "You're not gonna let up until I give in."  
  
"Nope," Petey says.  
  
"No," Steve agrees.  
  
"I have ideas about a more lightweight version of that beast you're toting around," Tony adds from across the room.  "Just saying."  
  
Barnes narrows his eyes in thought.  The kid is getting non-metallic web shooters to keep him safe from Magneto.  Maybe... Just maybe... there might be something Stark can come up with that Barnes can use so he can effectively watch Petey's six.  "Fine, Stark.  Let's do this."  
  
  
00000000000000000000  
  
  
  
Matt knows that Foggy and Karen can't figure out why he's gotten up, walked out of his office and is standing by the door, waiting.  He also knows they're watching him.  He's guessing that they're exchanging confused looks.  He doesn't care.  
  
Every bit of his attention is focused on the footsteps coming up the stairs, on the nervous beating of Jessica's heart, the way she's panting slightly, the smells of every classroom she's been in today coming from her hair and the slight elevation of her body temperature.  She pauses when she sees him and Matt decides to close the distance.  
  
He knows she still doesn't like being touched but he does it anyway, gathering her carefully in his arms and it takes all of his discipline not to pull her close.  "I love you, too."  
  
Jessica is completely rigid at first and then her hands come up slowly, to rest at his waist.  "I-I do.  I love you, Dad."  
  
There's a sniffle behind him that Matt immediately recognizes as Foggy.  Karen's eyes are also tearing up.  He hears her pull a tissue from the box at her desk.  
  
Matt is so busy focusing on Jessica, Foggy and Karen that he doesn't realize that *he's* crying until he feels the moisture on his cheeks.  
  
"You should take the afternoon off," Foggy suggests and his voice is choked with emotion.  "Enjoy your severe case of the feels, Matty."  
  
Reluctantly, Matt lets go of Jessica.  "We have too much work to do, Foggy."  
  
"And I wanted to look through those documents," Jessica puts in.  "I-I did some Googling about how insurance companies process claims so I could understand everything better."  
  
Even though he knows she's telling the truth, Matt asks, "You did?"  
  
"It's *interesting*," she tells him.  "A-and it's mine.  Every time I look at something about math or science and I think it's interesting, I second guess myself wondering if I think it's interesting because that's Peter's thought.  Peter never thought about law.  Not like this.  So I-I want to do document review today.  If that's okay."  
  
"We have two other claims processing procedures manuals," Matt tells her, walking back to his office, knowing that's she's on his heels.  "From Mutual Great Benefit's competitors.  I was going to compare the processes but maybe you'd like to take first crack at it."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"It's the kind of assignment a first-year lawyer gets," Matt explains.  He hears Karen's nails tapping at her keyboard, pulling up the documents.  "Procedure manuals are boring and sometimes very technical.  They can also be easy ways to trip up a defendant, especially when a procedure wasn't followed to the letter or because they direct you to a smoking gun ---"  
  
"That only happens in John Grisham novels," Foggy puts in.  "It's grunt work, Jessica.  No matter how much Matty tries to glam it up for you, comparing procedures is just another, even more soul-crushing level of document review."  
  
Matt wishes he could glare effectively.  The best he can do is turn his head in Foggy's direction and hope he looks disapproving.  "It's necessary and valuable work.  Stop discouraging our intern."  
  
"Unpaid intern, right?"  
  
"Considering we're barely getting paid?  Yes."  
  
"Wow, soul-crushing work for no pay.  You guys really know how to motivate a girl," Karen says, stepping into Matt's office.  Matt could swear he can smell a hint of Steve Rogers' distinct scent coming from her hair.  "Jessica, the files are in a subfolder called 'procedures' under the Reyes directory.  I have a dictionary of insurance terms on the window sill behind my desk."  
  
Matt settles into his chair.  "How was your third date with Steve last night, Karen?"  
  
"Wonderful and none of your business."  
  
"I introduced them," Foggy reminds everyone unnecessarily and then adds, "That means I get to be best man at the wedding."  
  
"Oh my God," Karen groans.  "It's been three dates!"  
  
"You made him your grandmother's special dish," Matt comments.  He can smell that as well.  "The one that you were only supposed to make for your future husband --"  
  
"I fed it to you two!"  
  
Foggy gasps in mock horror.  "Matty, we've been cast aside for Captain America."  
  
"He *is* Captain America, Foggy."  
  
"I feel so used."  
  
"I work with children," Karen sighs.  
  


 

 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
  
  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"What does it look like I'm doing?"  
  
Peter narrows his eyes suspiciously at Bucky.  "It looks like you're walking me to school."  
  
"That must be it then," Bucky says with a smirk.  "See?  I knew you were a smart kid."  He's got his well-worn Army jacket on and he's keeping pace with Peter, but his eyes are continuously in motion as they walk the eight blocks from Peter's house to Midtown High School.   "I don't like this route to your school.  Too many places for a sniper to hide."  
  
Peter stops, hands on hips, and starts to open his mouth to retort.  
  
Bucky also stops and raises an eyebrow in a silent challenge.  
  
"Fine," Peter relents because he can practically hear Mary Jane scolding him for giving Bucky yet another hard time for trying to protect Peter.  Instead, he raises his chin and says, "Show me where the snipers would hide.  I should probably learn stuff like that."  
  
"You should," Bucky agrees, his face lighting up in a pleased smile as he begins explaining about how snipers spend days observing their targets and choosing locations to 'nest' while they watch.  
  
Once Peter gets past the squickiness of the topic in general, he realizes there are mathematical components to being a sniper -- the physics involved in the type of gun and ammunition being used and geometry to get the angle of the shot just right.  From there, the conversation becomes engrossing and he almost doesn't realize he's in front of the school until ---  
  
"Parker, you little turd!"  Flash Thompson is livid with rage as he glares at Peter.  "You're a dead man."  
  
Bucky doesn't say a word.  He just hits Flash with the cold, dead-eyed stare that Peter has seen scare the crap out of hardened HYDRA operatives.  Unfortunately for Flash, there's a difference between Flash and those HYDRA operatives and it's a matter of IQ points.  
  
"You must be Parker's new daddy," Flash sneers at Bucky before turning the sneer on Peter.  "Your aunt moves fast, Parker, and go figure, she likes 'em young.  If I'd known that --"  
  
"Kid," Bucky says and his voice is as cold as a Siberian winter, "Shut your yap, turn around and walk away."  
  
Flash locks stares with Bucky and then rolls his eyes as he heads towards the school yard.  "See you in gym class, Parker."  
  
Bucky growls softly in frustration and looks down at Peter.  "If I wasn't almost twice his age..."  
  
"You'd beat him up for me."  
  
"I used to for Stevie."  
  
Peter smiles fondly at Bucky.  "Yeah, but remember, there's a big difference between Peter Parker and Steve Rogers at fifteen."  
  
"Not so much, punk, not so much."  Bucky ruffles Peter's hair.  "You go in there and don't come out until you're done for the day."  
  
"What about lunch?"  
  
"Look, you little smartass," Bucky says sternly, "you know what I mean.  No cutting class.  I don't care what's going on.  And you wait for me right here."  
  
"You're walking me home?"  Peter winces when he hears the whine in his voice.  
  
Bucky folds his arms across his chest and rocks back on his heels.  "What?  Am I cutting into your quality time with Mary Jane?"  
  
Peter ducks his head but it's not fast enough to hide the furious blush.  
  
"That's one big difference between you and Stevie," Bucky mutters, "at any age.  Fine.  She can come over after school and I'll give you two your privacy."  He grabs Peter by the arm and shoves him gently.  "Get your ass in there and go learn something."  
  
Peter gives him what he's sure is the world's sloppiest salute because Bucky screws up his face and shakes his head as he watches Peter go inside just as the bell for first period rings.    
  
The halls are crowded and Peter has to practically fight his way to his locker where Mary Jane is waiting for him.  She presses a finger to his lips and then uses the same finger to beckon him.  It's not the first time they've sneaked off but it's also less than twenty four hours after he just got in trouble for cutting class.  "Mary, I --"  
  
"Shhh!"  There's no mistaking that mischievous glint in her eye and Peter decides they can be a few minutes late for homeroom.   
  
He follows her outside to the bleachers.  "Look, I'm sorry I didn't call you last night but --Mmmffffmm!"  
  
Mary Jane silences him with a kiss.  One hand seizes his hair roughly and the other... the other...  
  
"Whoa!"  Peter leaps backwards.  "What the...  I-I mean...  I thought you wanted to wait."  
  
His spider sense starts to tingle at the same time Mary Jane's eyes shift from their usual green to an unearthly yellow.  
  
Peter thinks he should recognize those yellow eyes, that they're important, but his vision is starting to blur, he's having trouble thinking and boy, is he getting dizzy.  
  
It comes to him just as his knees give way and he topples to the ground.  
  
His last words before he loses consciousness are, "Aw crap."  
  
  
  
000000000000000000000000000  
  
  
  
"Rise and shine, Clinty-poo."  
  
Clint cracks one eye open from where he's lying face down on his battered, second hand sofa to  confirm his visitor's identity.  Then he closes his eye and groans.  "Isn't this a school day?"  
  
"Service day," Katie tells him, setting two bags on his kitchen counter.  "Now get up.  I brought you your favorite greasy, artery-clogging breakfast."  
  
"Did you bring coffee?"  
  
"Do bears bear?  Do bees be?"  She crosses the room, her heels clicking on the hardwood floor and opens the window shades, letting the sun in.  "Up and at 'em, Barton. It's a beautiful day and I've got plans for us."  
  
"Kid."  Clint wipes the drool off his chin and runs a hand through his hair before making the attempt to sit up.  He wants to be stern and tell her to go study or something the way Murdock tells Jessie but his stomach rumbles at the unmistakable scent of bacon, egg and cheddar on an Asiago bagel.  Later, Clint decides.  He can tell her later.  "Gimme."  
  
"You think some of Captain America's old timey manners might have rubbed off," she mutters, handing him the cup of coffee.  
  
Clint snorts.  "You need to meet the guy when he's not wearing the stars and stripes."  
  
"You're telling me he's not truth, justice and apple pie?"  
  
"Katie, that is exactly what I'm telling you."  
  
"Well, damn, Barton.  When do I get to meet him?"  
  
"This again."  Clint squinches his eyes shut and takes a fortifying sip of coffee.  "Look, it's complicated --"  
  
Kate makes a face.  "Spider-man's an Avenger and his sister-clone is --"  
  
"Not," he cuts her off.  "Spidey isn't an Avenger either.  He's like a...a half-Avenger.  An after-school Avenger."  
  
"So why can't Jessica and I be after-school Avengers, too?" Kate demands.  "In fact, maybe the three of us --"  
  
"Jesus, don't even joke like that.  Spidey gets himself into enough shit on his own."  Clint takes a bite of his bagel and hums with pleasure.  "I shudder to think what the three of you could get into."  
  
"Like what?" Katie asks, taking a bite of her bagel.  The cream cheese, Clint is sure, is low-fat.  "You always say he's getting himself into things but you never tell me details."  
  
Clint eyes her.  "That's because the details are classified.  I'm still sort-of SHIELD.  As long as the paychecks clear, I have to follow the rules and so far, Katie-girl, the checks haven't bounced."  
  
Kate makes a face. "You can't tell me one little thing?"   
  
"Okay, fine," Clint relents and he's sure he's going to regret it.  "This isn't classified because Steve hasn't run it past Fury yet.  Magneto's trying to recruit him."  
  
"Get out!"    
  
"I swear on this bagel."  No sooner are the words out of his mouth than Lucky is trying to climb into his lap for a bite.  Clint tears off a piece and hands it to the dog.  
  
Kate rolls her eyes.  "You're giving that dog every bad habit ever.  And Spidey's not a mutant so why is Magneto --?"  
  
"Never try to figure out crazy."  Clint tries unsuccessfully to shoo Lucky away.  "According to our mutant expert, Magneto makes exceptions to the mutants-only club rule every now and again."  With a sigh of despair, he lets Lucky have the rest of the bagel.  "You didn't come here to talk about Pe -- uh, Spidey, so out with it."  
  
"You know I know his identity, right?   Jessica's, like, my best friend."  
  
"I figured but I need to pretend it's not the case because the kid is very protective of his identity."   He drinks some more coffee.  "Now spill.  I've got things to do today."  
  
"What kind of things?"  
  
"I just told you.  Mags wants to recruit Spidey.  Steve wants me to keep an eye on the kid."  
  
Katie gives him a look.  "School started over an hour ago."  
  
Clint blows out a sigh.  "And I have over three hours before I have to go relieve the Winter Soldier."  
  
"When do I get to meet *him*?"  
  
"Katie --"  
  
"Clint!  You act like you're ashamed of me or something," Kate huffs.  "Have you or have you not been training me?"  
  
"It's complicated."  Clint winces because that sounds lame, even to his ears.  "Look, Steve's not thrilled with the idea of kids being in dangerous situations.  Including Pe -- uh, Spidey."  
  
"I'm not doing anything remotely dangerous."  Her eyes sparkle as she looks at him.  "Not unless you let me help you keep an eye on Spider-man."  
  
Clint blows out an exasperated breath.  "No."  
  
"You can't stop me from tagging along," she persists.  "Well, maybe you could.  I won't try to tag along if you give me some information.  What do you know about blind ninjas?"  
  
And there it is.  Katie's ulterior motive for the early morning visit.  Now that he thinks about it, Clint is pretty sure she probably had school today, too.  "What?  Like that movie with Rutger Hauer?"  
  
"Like the Chaste that I read about in those leaked SHIELD files."  Kate is all-business now and damn if she doesn't seem a lot older than her sixteen years.  "It didn't say anything about them being active in the US but I figured if anyone would know, it'd be you."  
  
Clint rubs his eyes.  "Why are you asking this?"  
  
"Do you really want to know?"  
  
Of course he doesn't and now he knows what Steve and Murdock feel like when they're dealing with a Peter Parker problem.  Still, he knows better than to bury his head in the sand.  He knows he's going to regret what he's about to say. "Hit me."  
  
God help him.  
  
These kid heroes are going to be the death of all of them.

 

 

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7  
  
  
  
This rooftop nest and Barnes are old friends.  The last time he was here, he was half out of his mind fighting HYDRA programming and trying to protect Petey from being snatched by HYDRA's hired goons.  He's closer to being in his right mind now which is why he doesn't attack Clint Barton and whoever's with him when they climb over the parapet from the fire escape.  "You're early."  
  
"And I brought coffee," Barton tells him cheerily.    
  
Barnes turns slowly, silently taking in Barton's young, female companion.  
  
"This is Hawkeye."  
  
"Aren't you Hawkeye?" Barnes asks.  
  
"We're both Hawkeye," the girl clarifies.  She's young, a little older than Petey and she's feisty.  Barnes likes her already.  "You can call me Kate.  I'm Clint's protege."  
  
Barton hands Barnes the coffee and peers over at Petey's school.  "Good choice of vantage points."  He waits a beat but Barnes doesn't say a word.  "Look, I've got something I want to float past you.  It's not something Avengers-level, not yet, I don't think but..."  
  
Intrigued, Barnes raises an eyebrow and takes a sip of the coffee.  
  
"Katie and Jessica were patrolling the other day and Jessie ran into an old guy on a rooftop.  The guy was blind, she thinks and pulled a ninja disappearing act."  Barton raises a hand to ward off an imagined protest by Barnes.  "You could chalk it up to youthful imagination or whatever, but here's the kicker.  When Jessie told Murdock, his reaction was not like yours or mine.   He acted like he knows the old guy and he warned the kid to stay away from him --"  
  
"Shit," Barnes swears.  "When did he take her?"  
  
"He didn't.  So far, the old guy hasn't resurfaced but ask yourself what Peter would do and figure that's what Jessie --"  
  
"Oh, for God's sake," Kate interrupts tartly.  "We did research in the old SHIELD files and came up with a match.  There's a league called the Chaste and here's the kicker, they're all supposedly blind ninja types."  
  
"Just like Murdock," Barton adds unnecessarily.  "So figure there's a connection of some kind and definitely bad blood between the old guy and Murdock."  
  
Barnes's mind is surging ahead like a keen bloodhound on a scent.  "And you're not going to Murdock directly because...?"  
  
"You've met him.  Would you go directly to him?"  
  
"Good point.  So what is it you want from me?"  
  
"Are you busy tonight?"  
  
Barnes cuts his eyes over to the school.  "That depends how much trouble the kid gets himself into today."  
  
"Good point," Barton agrees.  
  
As if on cue, Barnes' cell phone vibrates.  He tugs it out of his pocket to see that Aunt May is calling for the third time this morning.  Not a good sign.  "Hello."  
  
"Is Peter with you?" she asks without preamble.  
  
Barnes nearly crushes the phone. "He's in school.  I walked him there myself this morning."  
  
"Not according to the Dean's office."  May lets that sentence sit for a moment before going on.  "James, did you meet with the Dean about --"  
  
"May, look, I'll explain everything later," Barnes says, ending the call and pressing number three on his speed dial.  "JARVIS, give me a location on Peter."  
  
The screen of Barnes' phone zooms in on Peter's school.  Barnes keeps tapping until he's zoomed in on the bleachers, which are the only thing not in his sight line.  With a growl of frustration he throws a leg over the parapet and leaps down the six stories to the sidewalk below.  He's never been more glad for the shit Zola pumped into his system because he's at his destination in less than four heartbeats.  
  
A gym class is in session, a bunch of kids throwing around a football.  None of them notice Barnes slipping under the bleachers to find Petey's backpack.  He opens it, sees that the kid's Spidey suit is still inside and that's when he knows Petey's been taken.  There's no way he'd leave his costume behind.  And especially not with school books that would identify him as both Spidey and Peter Parker.  
  
He hears Barton and the girl coming up behind him, both breathing heavily from running the four blocks.  
  
"Know how you didn't want to talk to Murdock?" Barnes says, holding up the backpack.  "Scratch that.  We're paying him a visit."  
  
  
  
0000000000000000000000000  
  
  
  
  
Peter comes awake with a start.  He's curled up on a cold, concrete floor and he can smell a musty dampness in the air, both of which add up to him being underground.  Closing his eyes again, he focuses one sense at a time, trying to put the pieces together.  He hears dripping water and a faint clanking sound.  The smell is musty with a strong undertone of mildew and the air is cool but there's no breeze.  Underground, Peter concludes, probably somewhere in the sewer system or an old, unused subway tunnel.  
  
He cracks his eyes open again to see a pair of bare, blue feet.  Raising himself slowly on both hands, Peter's gaze travels upwards along a shapely pair of blue legs and straight up a decidedly naked blue female body.  Mystique gazes back with a condescending smirk.  
  
"See anything you like?" she sneers.  
  
There's no doubt that she's beautiful, that she's completely and utterly naked and that if he weren't ticked off beyond belief he'd be fascinated by the raised markings on her skin.  His scientifically inclined mind immediately theorizes that the markings are receptors of some kind that aid in gathering information for her shape shifting.  They're especially prevalent around her face, hands and feet, exactly where the most crucial identifying details would be needed.    
  
He pushes his curiousity aside and gets to his feet, eyes narrowed.  Mystique is taller than he is and doesn't seem the least bit concerned as he gets into her space, crowding her.  "If you ever touch me like that again, you and I are going to go at it for real, lady, and I don't think you're going to like how that chapter ends."  
  
Her eyes narrow at him.  "You dare --?"  
  
"You dared first," Peter snaps.  "You dare again and I'll make an exception to my rule about hitting girls."  
  
"Settle down, boy."  The rich baritone comes from behind Peter.  "Mystique meant no harm, young man --"  
  
"She *touched* me," Peter hisses.  Reluctantly, he takes his eyes off her to glare at Magneto, who's wearing an expensive looking camel-colored turtleneck sweater and a pair of charcoal grey slacks.  He looks more like somebody's grandfather than the most dangerous mutant in the world.  "And I don't mean that I'm squicked out from being touched by a mutant.  I'm squicked out from being touched by a grown-up in a *private* place."  
  
Magneto shoots a scathing look in Mystique's direction which tells Peter she was probably about to laugh.  "You have my sincere apologies, young Spider, as I trust I have yours for the unfortunate conclusion to our meeting the other day."  
  
"You scared me," Peter tells him honestly.  "You're scaring me now.  For somebody that wants to have a friendly discussion, you've got a very unfriendly way of going about it."  
  
"Such measures are, unfortunately, necessary."  He gestures and a metal stool comes flying out of the far corner.  Sitting, he continues, "I trust we'll be able to have a civilized discussion now."  
  
Even though Peter knows the truth he asks, "Like the one you had with Geldoff?"  
  
Magneto's look is rueful.  "You were quite correct in suggesting that he wasn't a good fit."  
  
"So what?  You killed him?" Peter presses.    
  
"We parted ways, as you and I will part ways.  Amicably.  Without harm."  Those cold blue-grey eyes narrow at Peter.  "Of course, that depends on whether you're capable of behaving yourself and having a civilized, adult conversation.  I strongly suggest you calm yourself, boy."  
  
As much as Peter wants to rail against Magneto, there's a mission he's supposed to be carrying out.  Steve is trusting him to try to get information and that's what he should be doing.  It takes everything he has to keep his voice steady.  "I guess we should start with the most important thing.  I'm not a mutant.  I-I'm an illegal genetic mutation."  
  
"Ah," Magneto breathes.  "Do my ears deceive me or are those the dulcet tones of Nick Fury coming from your young mouth?"  
  
Peter nods.    
  
"And how is it," Magneto asks, "that you run free while Fury arrests other mutants and mutations?"  
  
"I run free because I'm under eighteen and I haven't killed anybody," Peter counters.  He shoots a meaningful look at Magneto.  "I'm not going to kill anybody.  So if that's what you want to recruit me for, the answer is a big, fat no."  
  
Magneto regards him almost pityingly.  "When the time comes, boy, the flatscans won't care that you're not a mutant.  Do you truly believe Charles will protect you?"  
  
"Flatscan?  Is that some kind of... Wow.  Just... wow.  You've got your own language of hate."  Peter wrinkles his nose and makes a disgusted sound.  "Dude, your parents were flatscans. And technically, I'm one too.  Where does an illegal genetic mutation fit into your brave new world order?  Wait, let me guess.  I'm the slave class, right?  Or maybe one step above, like an indentured servant of some kind."  
  
"If you fight with us --"  
  
"I'm a fifteen year old *kid*," Peter interrupts him.  "I'm too young to be thinking about fighting anybody in a war."  He catches himself.  "Is that what you're doing?  Raising an army to declare war on all the flatscans?"  
  
"They declared it first!" Magneto thunders.  "They invented machines to destroy us!  They experiment on us!  Do you think I'm so foolish as to not know where your powers come from?"  
  
Peter blinks.  "What?"  
  
"You're the result of experiments with mutant growth hormone," Magneto snarls.  "That atrocious drug that's made with cells harvested from...  Boy, if you value your hide, I'd stop laughing if I were you."  
  
"I can't help it, Maggie.  You've never been more wrong in your life."  Peter leaps upwards and clings to the filthy ceiling, peering down at Magneto.  He's got the lay of the land now and he's sure he's not going to get any details about the man's master plan.  The question is, how much does he tell Magneto?  He lands in a crouch in front of the Master of Magnetism and is rewarded when the man actually flinches in surprise.  "I'll tell you where my powers came from if you tell me how you knew where to find me."  
  
"Sabretooth tracked you."  
  
"So..."  Peter narrows his eyes.  "You don't know my real name."  
  
Magneto smiles coldly.  "I'm afraid I do, Mister Parker."  
  
Peter suppresses a shudder and thinks fast.  He needs to get out of here and convince Magneto to leave him the heck alone.  That's when it occurs  to him that if Magneto was unwilling to get into a skirmish with Doom over Geldoff, there's a way out of this mess for him, too.  "I'm sure you've read in the leaked SHIELD files about Fury's sponsoring Oscorp's attempts at a super soldier serum called Oz, yeah?"  
  
"Indeed."  
  
"Well," Peter says, gesturing to himself, "you're looking at the only successful application of Oz."  
  
Magneto's eyebrows rise.  
  
"You get what that means, right?  I'm Captain America but with spider powers."  Peter lets that sink in before adding, "Now you're a smart guy so I'm sure it's not a big shocker that HYDRA and AIM are tripping all over themselves trying to get at me.  If they find out *you've* snatched me or, uh, killed me... Well, I wouldn't want to be in your metal boots, pal.  Let's face it, HYDRA's Project Insight makes one of your plans for mutant world domination look like a kids' game.  Do you really want to piss those guys off?"  He smiles pleasantly.  "And as for good old Nick Fury, well, now you get why he lets me run around in my silly little Spidey suit.  So, how about letting me go back to school where I belong, huh?"  
  
The Master of Magnetism rises to his feet, staring imperiously down at Peter.  "You're not nearly the little fool you lead everyone to believe are, young man.  It's almost worth incurring the cost to recruit you.  When the time of reckoning comes, stand with me and I will forgive you your foolish alliances.  Destroying you would be a waste."  He gestures to Mystique.  "Come, my dear."  
  
Peter stands hands on hips, head cocked to one side.  "Um, hello, how do I get out of here?"  
  
Magneto gestures and a heavy sheet of metal tears loose from the ceiling, exposing a manhole cover.  "You're just below Central Park."  
  
"I don't suppose you could write me a note for school?" Peter ventures.  
  
The Master of Magnetism throws back his head and laughs.  "That would indeed be something, would it not?"  He regards Peter with a warm smile.  "Would you object to meeting and speaking again if I promise not to use such aggressive methods to secure your attention?"  
  
"I-I guess that'd be okay."  Seriously?  
  
"You may find," Magneto tells him, "that you'll want a powerful ally such as myself if HYDRA and AIM continue their pursuit of you."  He extends his hand for Peter to shake.  
  
There's the faintest sensation of electromagnetism and Peter looks up at Magneto in wonder.  
  
"Consider that fair warning not to try to follow us."  
  
Peter catches himself just as he starts to wave goodbye.  
  
The giant metal plate that obscured the manhole cover slams into place over the corridor that Magneto and Mystique leave through.  Peter stares at it for a moment and then starts the climb to freedom.  
  
As he pushes the manhole cover out of his way and peers out into the bright light of day, he wonders how the heck he's going to explain all of this to Steve and Bucky.

 

 

 

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8  
  
  
  
Matt is busy putting the final touches on his motion that, if granted, will compel Mutual Great Benefit Life to provide the documents they omitted from the first set they provided.  His request is just this side of open-ended, designed to get what he specifically needs and a little bit more which means that Mutual's lawyers are going to fight the request as overbroad.  The result will be that Matt gets what he wants.  If his request for sanctions for violation of the ADA is granted for Mutual's previous paper-based barrage, that will be icing on the cake.    
  
He's reading the document over one last time when he hears visitors approaching.  Matt stands up but doesn't bother to tighten his tie or roll down his shirtsleeves.  Instead, he focuses his attention on his visitors.   The first to enter the room is Bucky Barnes and everything about the man screams tension.  Matt swiftly concludes that the tension may have to do with the facts that Barnes is carrying what is probably Peter Parker's school bag and that Peter is nowhere among the group. Clint and Kate are right behind Barnes.  
  
"Sorry to barge in without an appointment," Barnes says and it's the first time Matt's ever heard him make a quip.    
  
"I'd ask if everything was all right," Matt responds smoothly, "but I assume this has to do with the reason Peter's not with you."  
  
There's a long pause as Barnes assesses Foggy and Karen.    
  
"You can talk in front of them," Matt assures him and then he smiles as he hears the familiar Sousa march heartbeat of Steve Rogers coming from a block away.  "Or you might want to wait for Steve to get here."  
  
"Can I get anyone coffee?" Karen offers.  Her heart rate and respiration are slightly elevated and so is her body temperature.  Matt quickly translates that as 'Karen is excited to see Steve'.  
  
Steve's heart rate and body temperature increase fractionally when he walks in and if Matt were a betting man, he'd guess that Steve just smiled hello at his 'best girl'.    
  
"We were waiting for you," Matt tells him.  
  
"I'm sorry, who is this?" Steve asks.  He's facing in Kate's direction when he asks.  
  
Clint shifts from one foot to the other.  "That's Hawkeye."  
  
"You're Hawkeye."  
  
"I'm also Hawkeye," Kate says, extending a hand in Steve's direction.  "Kate Bishop."  
  
"A friend of Jessica's," Matt explains and then focuses hard on Kate.  "Isn't this a school day?"  
  
"It's a service day.  No classes," she lies.  
  
It's no skin off Matt's back that Jessica's friend is cutting school.  Not really.  Except Kate is Jessica's best friend and, threat of bad influence aside and despite Kate's very big mouth, she's a good girl.  He makes a note to address her attendance with her later.  "To what do I owe the pleasure of everyone's visit?"  
  
"Peter was taken from his school by Magneto," Barnes says, holding out the book bag.  "I was hoping you might be able to..."  He trails off.  "This idea sounded a lot less demeaning when Clint suggested it earlier."  
  
"You want me to try to sniff out some clues."  Matt turns his head in Clint's direction and adds witheringly, "Like a bloodhound."  
  
"Matt hates that," Foggy pipes up, poking his head out of his office.  "He also hates being asked to eavesdrop on conversations.   The trick to getting him to do it, just for future reference, is to make him think it's his idea."  
  
Clint exhales in frustration.  "Look, if you don't know that I respect you by now --"  
  
"Of course I do."  Matt takes the backpack and focuses hard on it.  "There are a lot of recent scents both on and in this bag.  Gravel.  Grass.  The upholstery from your car.  Bucky held this bag in his lap the entire way here.  I'm getting a musty, underground kind of scent with a hint of metal but that doesn't help much I suppose.  If it's any consolation, there's no blood so ----" He trails off and tilts his head slightly to the left before turning towards the window.  "We can call off the hunt.  Peter's on his way here."  
  
Barnes positions himself by the door.  "Is he okay?  Can you tell?"  
  
"He seems to be fine though I'm picking up a faint chemical scent that I'm assuming means he was drugged earlier," Matt tells him.  "That musty, metallic underground scent is coming off him very strongly.  If I'm guessing right, he was in a subway maintenance room.   Hmmm.  It was near Central Park.  He walked the entire way here because his wallet is in his backpack."  
  
Peter pauses for a fraction of a second when he sees the small crowd gathered in Matt's office and then launches himself into Barnes' arms.    
  
"You didn't tell me Bucky was Peter's dad," Kate whispers to Clint.  
  
"Who the heck are you?" Peter asks, still clinging to Barnes.  
  
"Hawkeye."  
  
Peter's voice is skeptical.  "He's Hawkeye."  
  
"I'm Hawkeye, too.  Kate Bishop.  I'm also Jessica's best friend so I kind of know about you --"  
  
"Great, just great," Peter groans, finally releasing Barnes.  "Magneto, Mystique and now some Hawkgirl all know my identity."  
  
"It's Hawkeye," Kate corrects him, "and I just told you mine."  
  
Steve grabs Peter and, judging by the air currents and the sound of Peter's body colliding with Steve's, gives him a fierce hug.  "Are you all right?  Did they hurt you?"  
  
"Oh my God," Kate breathes.  "Peter's got two dads!"  
  
"Who *are* you?" Peter mumbles against Steve's chest.  
  
"I told you.  I'm Kate."  
  
Matt can't help smiling because he has a feeling what's coming next.  
  
Peter pulls himself free from Steve and cocks his head to one side.  "Well, Kate, first of all, Bucky and Steve aren't --"  
  
"Of course they are," she cuts him off.  "Look at them.  It's like watching Matt and Jess all over again.  You should tell Bucky and Steve that you love them."  
  
"I...what?!"  
  
"Are you that oblivious?  What am I talking about?  Of course you are!"  Kate throws up her hands in frustration.  "I know Jessica.  I thought it was a thing from being made in a lab but now I'm getting the picture.  It's not a lab thing.  It's a you thing."  She gets into Peter's space and pokes him in the chest.  "The two of you are, like, these bundles of repressed feelings.  Let them out.  You'll feel better.  Go on.  Tell Bucky at least.  The guy's been practically hyperventilating with worry for the past hour.  He could use the positive feels."  
  
"This has been a really confusing day," Peter says at last.  "You're not helping, Hawkgirl."  
  
"Hawk*eye*."  
  
"Whatever."  
  
The plates in Barnes' cybernetic arm whir softly.  "You're not gonna tell me, punk?"  
  
"See?" Kate says triumphantly.  "He's dying to hear it."  
  
Matt hides a smile as Peter's heart practically thunders in his chest and his body temperature rises with what must be the most furious blush ever.  He knows what those words will do because he experienced them firsthand in this very office but he holds his tongue.   Kate's blunt-force method of encouragement will be enough.  
  
"Um...uh..."  Peter takes a step closer to Barnes.  "Uh... I l-love you, Bucky."  
  
There's a sniffle coming from Foggy's office followed by the sound of Karen tugging a tissue from the box on her desk and passing it to Clint.  
  
"I love you, too, you little punk."  Barnes pulls the kid to him and rests his chin on Peter's head.  
  
"See?" Even Kate's voice is choked with emotion.  "I told you so!"  
  
"Well, that's... that's..."  Steve clears his throat.  "Peter, we need to --"  
  
"Not so fast," Kate interrupts him.  "Your turn next."  
  
Steve's blush is even more intense than Peter's.  "I appreciate the sentiment, Miss Bishop, but the, uh, feels can wait until later.  Peter needs to be debriefed about his morning."  
  
"I was kind of hoping I could just tell Bucky about it," Peter says.  "At home."  
  
Matt picks up at least a dozen otherwise imperceptible clues at once.  Whatever happened disturbed Peter and he doesn't want to talk about it in a crowd.  He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the keys to his apartment.  "How about a compromise?  You can use my place and when you're done, if you'd like to stick around, Jessica will be getting out of school soon.  I'm sure she'd like to see all of you."  
  
"Don't you have your daddy-daughter shrink session?" Kate asks.  "It's Friday."  
  
"Not today."  Matt doesn't bother explaining that Dr. Robinette is on vacation starting today.  "I'd planned...  Well, I think this would be better than anything I planned."  
  
"Praise the Lord, it's a miracle," Clint announces. "Dad-Devil is breaking his carefully planned schedule.  Bros, you cannot say 'no' now."    
  
Steve takes the keys.  "On behalf of the Winter Father and myself, Matt, thank you.  Come on, boys."  
  
"Oh my God," Karen sniffles when the door shuts behind the trio.  "That was beautiful.  Kate, I don't know you very well, but you're my favorite person this week."  
  
Clint leans against the door and folds his arms across his chest.   "Are they gone, Lil Devil?"  
  
"They're two blocks away."  
  
"That's gone enough for me."  He clears his throat.  "We need to have a little chat about what's going on in your neck of the woods."  
  
"Excuse me?" Matt asks, genuinely confused.  "It's been business as usual, as far as I --"  
  
"The Chaste, Murdock."  
  
"The what?"  
  
Clint levers himself off the door.  "Old blind ninja guy you warned Jessie to stay away from--"  
  
"Stick," Foggy calls out.  "Rhymes with dick which is more than a little appropriate."  
  
Matt's good humor fades completely.  "It's none of your concern --"  
  
"Actually, it is.  SHIELD had a pretty detailed file on these guys.  If your old guy is who I think he is, he's part of something huge.  The question that I'm hoping you know the answer to is why he's here and what he wants."  
  
"These guys?" Matt echoes.  
  
"The Chaste."  
  
"He wanted me to be a soldier," Matt murmurs.  "I didn't realize there was an actual army."  
  
"I think," Clint says coming closer to Matt, "that you need to tell me everything."  
  
"I --"  
  
"I just had an idea," Foggy announces.  "Black Sky."  
  
"Black Sky?" Clint repeats.  
  
Matt wishes he could glare at Foggy.  Instead, he has to settle for a disapproving frown.  "Foggy --"  
  
"Stick was here a few months ago and he conned Matty into going after this Black Sky thing that Nobu was smuggling in --"  
  
"Black Sky was a child," Matt hisses, still angry at the memory of what happened.  
  
"That Stick killed," Foggy adds.  "Now, let's look at the bigger picture.  Stick said Black Sky was dangerous, right?  That there was more than one?  So what if Black Sky is a mutant and that's why Magneto's in town?  And why Stick is here?"  
  
Matt shakes his head.  "I haven't heard a word of it if that's the case.  Last time out, Nobu had Owlsley making every conceivable form of payoff to smuggle the shipment in."  
  
"They're both out of the picture," Clint muses.  "Who's stepped up?"  
  
"That's been a source of contention in both camps."  His mind is racing as he considers Foggy's theory.  It makes sense.  Too much, in fact.  "We have conjecture and not enough facts."  
  
"You also have us," Kate puts in.  "So regardless of whether this Dick guy has an army, you've got one of your own."  
  
Matt considers correcting her on the name but decides she's right.  "Well, then --"  
  
"Well, then," Clint cuts him off, "why don't you start at the beginning and tell us all about this Dick?"  
  
"Good luck with that," Foggy says.  "I had to end our friendship to get that much out of him.  Of course, I *did* get it out of him, which means I can tell you what he told me --"  
  
"Objection, hearsay!" Matt attempts.  
  
Foggy snaps his fingers.  "Over-ruled.  This isn't a court of law and these are your friends.  Clint's told you all about his crappy childhood and I know you, Matty.  You haven't told him diddly about yours and while we can normally let that slide, it's kind of important now."  
  
"Wow," Kate says.  "You guys love each other.  That's awesome."  
  
Matt buries his face in his hand and sighs.  
  
  
  
  
  
 


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9  
  
  
  
  
Peter is uncharacteristically quiet on the walk from Matt's office to the apartment and it's enough to make Steve worry.   Quiet is not Peter's natural state.  Not unless he's sleeping or eating and sometimes, not even then.  Steve looks over at Bucky and sees the same look of concern that he's probably wearing.  He fumbles for a moment with Matt's keys and then opens the door, letting Peter go in first.  
  
It doesn't surprise Steve that Peter heads straight for the large window in Matt's living room where he stands and watches the god-awful video screen that projects day and night into the apartment. There's an advertisement for a Caribbean vacation being shown and Peter seems to be glued to the bright images of blue skies and white sands before the images shift to a soft drink commercial.    
  
"I screwed up," Bucky announces, breaking the silence.  "I'm sorry."  
  
Peter whirls.  "You screwed up?  You?  No!  I screwed up!  You -- you did everything!  If anyone's the screw up here, it's me.  Just like it always is."  
  
"You're wrong," Bucky counters.  "I knew the field was outside of my sight line and I should have put surveillance equipment there --"  
  
"Why would you?  My gym class is inside."  
  
"Because I know that you and Mary Jane go out there when you want to be alone."  
  
Peter blanches and even though Steve wasn't sure it was possible, grows even more tense.  
  
Bucky, trained sniper and best friend ever -- no training needed --  sees it too.  His worried gaze ticks over to Steve before focusing once more on Peter.  "What happened, Petey?"  
  
"I... It's stupid.  Or I'm stupid.  Or maybe both," Peter says tightly.  "You keep telling me to be careful and I keep *not* being careful.  I put everyone I care about in danger because I'm not careful! A-and it has to stop!  People keep dying because I'm not careful--"  
  
"Peter," Steve says quietly, bending so that he's eye level with Peter, "It's okay, son.  Whatever it is, you can tell us."  
  
"It's everything!"  Peter throws his hands up in the air in frustration.  "Do you know how Magneto found out my identity?  He had Sabretooth track me."  
  
Bucky stills.  "What?"  
  
"He had Sabretooth track me," Peter repeats.  
  
"What," Bucky asks turning to Steve, "is a Sabretooth?"  
  
"He's a mutant," Steve explains.  "Real name is Victor Creed, another graduate of Canada's Weapon X program.  He's got a healing factor and abilities that are either identical or nearly identical to Wolverine's."  He eyes Peter.  "Was he the one who took you?"  
  
"Hold up a second."  Bucky raises his hand.  "I'm still stuck on someone tracking Petey without me being aware of it."  
  
"His senses are as good or possibly better than Matt's," Steve tells him.  "And yes, Buck, I know how good you are but ---"  
  
"How do we fight people that can do these things?" Peter's voice is shrill.  "You saw what Magneto did to that bridge.  How are we supposed to stop somebody like him?  Or someone who can shapeshift and make you think..."  He trails off and looks down at his sneakers.  
  
That's when it comes together for Steve.  "It was Mystique, wasn't it?"  
  
Peter nods.  "My Spidey sense didn't see her coming until it was too late."  With a shuddering inhalation of breath, he raises his chin until he's meeting Steve's eyes.  "Sh-she made herself look like Mary Jane a-and she...  she... I told her... I told her if she ever did anything like that again..."  His voice breaks and he turns away.    
  
"I'm going to kill her," Bucky says, voicing exactly what Steve is thinking.  
  
Steve takes Peter's arm and gently tugs the boy around until they're facing each other.  "How in Creation do you conclude that any of that was your fault?"  
  
"How is it not?" Peter says, bitterly.  
  
"Have we trained you to spot a tail?" Steve asks.  
  
"No, but --"  
  
"Are any of us equipped to tell the difference between Mystique and whoever she's pretending to be?"  
  
"Matt --"  
  
"Just Matt," Steve cuts him off.  "You rely on your spider-sense to tell you if you're being followed, right?  But doesn't it only work if you're in danger?"  
  
"Well, yeah, but --"  
  
"It's not your fault," Steve concludes firmly.  He uses his grip on Peter's arm to pull him into a hug.  "Not your fault.  I promise you, son."  
  
"Well, it's not Bucky's fault, either," Peter protests.  
  
"It is if I don't start training you properly," Bucky says.  "Stevie can keep teaching you fighting techniques but there's more you need to learn."  
  
"Tell me about it," Peter says glumly.  
  
Steve releases Peter only to watch as Bucky takes a turn hugging him.  "Feel like telling us about your conversation with Magneto?"  
  
Peter sags against Bucky.  "He's possibly the most revolting person I've ever met and I know Norman Osborn."  
  
"There's something you don't hear every day," Bucky says, resting his chin atop Peter's head and keeping his arms wrapped loosely around the boy.  
  
"I can understand -- maybe -- why being born with that kind of crazy amount of power might make someone think...  But to go around talking about genocide like it's nothing, calling people cattle and inventing his own... You know he call us 'flatscans'?"  Peter wrinkles his nose.  "Well, regular people.  People like us are one step above that in his twisted new world order.  I swear, I wanted to throw up when he started talking about how *he's* the victim here."  
  
"Did he mention any plans?" Steve asks carefully.    
  
Peter shakes his head.  "Just general world domination type stuff.  I think he's trying to raise an army and not having much success if he's resorting to recruiting illegal genetic mutations."  
  
"Interesting."  Steve folds his arms across his chest.  "Does he want to speak with you again?"  
  
"I, uh, tried to discourage him."  
  
Steve's eyebrows climb upwards.  "How?"  
  
Peter shrugs as best he can in Bucky's grip.  "Turns out Mags was under the mistaken impression that my powers came from experiments with mutant growth hormones.  So I told him the truth.  Well, a very simple version of it, anyway.  Then I told him that recruiting or killing me would be a bad idea because HYDRA and AIM would be really ticked off with him.  And so would SHIELD.  He agreed that he didn't need that kind of complication in his life and let me go."  
  
"Petey."  Bucky releases the boy and looks down at him.  "How the hell could you possibly think you're stupid?  That was fuckin' brilliant."  
  
Peter flushes and looks down at his sneakers again.  "Maybe.  He says he still wants me to play for his team."  
  
"The guy likes to live dangerously," Bucky murmurs, locking stares with Steve.   
  
"H-he asked if he could talk to me again," Peter goes on. "You know, if he's 'less aggressive' in setting up a meeting.  If he didn't scare the spit out of me, I'd have clocked him."  He grins weakly.  "I did spook him a little."  
  
Steve returns the smile. "Did you?"  
  
"You know how I climb when I get nervous a-and how I like to land?  I did that, right in front of him."  Peter draws himself up with a proud look.  "He flinched."  
  
"You little punk," Bucky says affectionately, grabbing Peter in a headlock.  "Attaboy."  
  
Steve watches to see if Peter uses what he taught him to break the headlock.  What he sees is an incredible combination of what he's taught and the boy using his own enhanced flexibility to twist in Bucky's grasp and somehow manage to drive his feet into Bucky's chest.  The two land on their asses and promptly start wrestling.  Steve knows from his own experience that this is a usual occurrence for them.  There's a point where Bucky nearly has Peter pinned but again Peter contorts himself into an almost impossible position and gets out of the hold to pin Bucky.  
  
"Look at you."  Bucky lies back and lets Peter hold him down.  "Good job, Petey.  You got me."  
  
"You let me win," Peter says, getting off of Bucky.  
  
Bucky sits up.  "And you held back."  
  
"Because I don't want to wreck Matt's living room."  
  
"I'm not gonna let you down again, Petey," Bucky tells him seriously.    
  
"Dude, it wasn't your fault!  Y-you're..."  Peter paces a couple of steps, trying to find the words.  "That crazy Kate girl is right.  She is.  You're like a dad, the way you fuss over me and worry about me.  I thought we were doing the big brother thing but...  Bucky, nobody's looked out for me like you do since Uncle Ben was alive.  You get what that means to me, right?"  He turns to Steve.  "That goes for you, too, Steve.  A-and speaking of that weird girl...  I love you, Steve."  
  
Steve feels himself choking up.  "Love you too, kid."  
  
"And how about me, punk?" Bucky asks Steve.    
  
"Of course I love you, you jerk.  'Til the end of the line."  He opens his arms.  "Well?  Where's my hug, Buck?"  
  
"Was the last time we did this 1943?" Bucky asks, wrapping his arms around Steve.  
  
Steve inhales Bucky's familiar scent and tightens his grip around him.  "It was.  Can you believe it?"  
  
"Stevie, I can't believe most of how our lives turned out," Bucky says.  "But as long as I've got my best friend and our adopted kid, I'm happy.  I love you two numbskulls."   He turns slightly.  "C'mere, Petey.  You're part of this now."  He lets go of Steve with one hand to draw Peter into the embrace.  "There we go."  
  
"That Kate girl is going to be sorry she missed this," Peter comments, his voice muffled.  
  
"She's Hawkeye?" Steve asks.    
  
"So Clint says."  
  
"I thought *Clint* was Hawkeye."  
  
"They're both Hawkeye."  
  
Steve sighs.  "I'm leading a team and I swear I have no idea what's going on half the time.  If not more."  
  


 

 

 

 


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10  
  
  
  
  
Since becoming Hawkeye, Kate has seen and heard a lot of bizarre things.  Thanks to Clint, she's gotten mixed up with the Russian mafia, hit men and things she's still trying to make sense of.  All of that pales in comparison to the insanity that is Matt Murdock's life, at least the little bit he's shared about that Stick guy.  He is simultaneously one of the most fascinating and freaky people she's ever known.  
  
"So it's settled," Clint says firmly.  "We tell Steve when he comes back."  
  
"As long as we're clear that it's strictly conjecture at this point," Matt counters.  "The only hard facts we have are that Stick is in town and so is Magneto."  
  
Kate cranes her neck to see what Foggy is writing in his legal pad.  He's been taking notes since the discussion began.  There is a list of questions to be answered and beside each, a list of sources to be consulted.  At the top of the list are searches of shipping manifests and customs clearances for shipments arriving within the next forty-eight hours from Japan.  
  
Foggy, slides the notebook in front of her.  "We used to go into each database manually but now all Matty has to do is tell JARVIS what he's looking for and it gets done in minutes."  He leans towards her.  "That gives us time to do actual work we get paid for."  
  
"Clint has JARVIS on speed dial, Foggy.  Why don't the two of you and Karen have a conference call with him and see how much data he can find before Steve and the guys come back?" Matt suggests.  He gets to his feet.  "Kate, come with me, please."  
  
She exchanges confused looks with Clint and follows Matt into his office and is startled when he shuts the door.  "Um --"  
  
"You didn't have a service day," Matt cuts her off.  "You skipped school."  
  
"Well, yeah," Kate shrugs.  "I was up half the night searching through the SHIELD files until I hit pay dirt.  This morning, it was either following up on my lead or sitting through eight hours of Sweet Gossip Mean Girls High and --"  
  
"Your lead was months-old information.  It could have waited."  Matt rests both palms on his desk and leans forward.  "Your education is important, Kate."  
  
"Oh. My.  God," Kate breathes.  "You're Dad-Deviling me."  
  
Matt nods solemnly.  "Yes, and do you know why?"  
  
"Uh, no."  
  
"We'll come back to that in a moment.  What are your plans after high school?"  
  
Kate frowns.  "My dad is pushing me to go to Brown and follow in his great literary footsteps in his publishing empire."  
  
"And what do you want?" Matt asks.  
  
The trouble with blind people, especially blind people wearing sunglasses, Kate thinks, is that their eyes don't give them away.  Matt's posture is so formal that she can't read anything from it.  It makes figuring out where he's going with this almost impossible.  "Not publishing."  
  
"Let me make a couple of suggestions," he says.  "The first is psychology.  You've displayed an aptitude for it, particularly in discerning relationships and encouraging healthy ones.  Imagine what you could do if you studied the theories.  Second, your interest in investigations and your extracurricular activities as Hawkeye might benefit from forensic studies coupled with criminal justice.  You'll learn the foundations of what Clint's teaching you.  If you want help in researching colleges, I'd be more than happy to do that."  
  
Kate's mouth is hanging open.  Her mind is reeling at the possibilities he's just tossed out at her and it strikes her almost funny that he's thought more about her future than she has.  "Why?"  
  
"A number of reasons but most importantly, you've been a good friend to Jess, even if you're not always a good influence."  Matt's mouth curves into a warm smile that seems to light up the room.  "You've helped her and I'd like to help you.  It seems to me you could use a little Dad-Deviling if you're skipping school in favor of underage vigilantism."  
  
"Um... Uh..."  She's at a loss for words!  That *never* happens.  "Thanks?"  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
Kate stares at him and comes to a conclusion.  Mind made up, she goes around to his side of the desk.  Matt stands up and turns so that he's still facing her.  It's the perfect opening and Kate follows through with her plan to give him a hug.    
  
"Ohmigod!"  Jessica is standing in the doorway, mouth hanging open as she stares at them.  "What the heck did I miss?"  
  
Kate releases Matt and gapes at Jessica.  "Ohmigod.  You're wearing a skirt!"  
  
Jessica's cheeks turn bright red.  "W-we had a special assembly today.  No pants allowed for the girls.  Does it look horrible?"  
  
"Are you kidding?  You're rocking the Catholic schoolgirl look," Kate assures her and smirks at the unhappy look on Matt's face.  
  
"It feels weird."  
  
"Well, you look great.  You've got nice legs."  
  
Frowning, Jessica looks down at herself.  "I do?"  She shakes her head.  "So what did I miss?"  
  
"Your father," Kate tells her, "was giving me some fatherly advice."  
  
"So you hugged him?"  
  
"I did."  
  
"She did," Matt agrees with a grin.  "Steve, Bucky and Peter are on their way over, Jess."   He turns his head slightly towards the window.  "They're downstairs, in fact."  
  
They're all watching as Steve steps through the door first, as if he's taking point.  Bucky Barnes is right behind him and behind Bucky is Peter.  Each of them seems a lot happier now than when they left.  Kate suspects a hug-fest might have been involved and possibly even an exchange of I-love-yous.  
  
Jessica is the first to break the silence as she launches herself at Bucky and wraps her arms around him.  "Bucky!"  
  
Kate shakes her head in disbelief.  "Amazing.  The Winter Soldier scares the spit out of most people and these two spider-kids hug the stuffing out of him."  
  
Bucky flashes a smile and crooks a finger at her.  "Maybe you oughtta try it."  
  
"Me?  I'm not a traumatized spider-person," Kate counters.  That smile though...  "Oh hell, why not?"  She goes over and puts her arms around Bucky.  It turns out the spider-folk aren't wrong.  Hugging the Winter Soldier is oddly comforting.  "Do I get to call you Bucky now?"  
  
He makes a show of thinking about it.  "Okay."  
  
Clint pokes his head out of the conference room and groans.  "Aw, sidekick, no!"  
  
"I'm not your sidekick," Kate reminds him.  "I'm your protege.  There's a difference."  
  
"Mine," Clint says firmly.  "Bucky's got at least one spider-kid."  
  
Kate grins wickedly and teases, "But Clint, think of all the cool stuff I could learn from him!"  
  
"You look a lot better in purple than you do in black," Clint attempts to persuade her.  "And then there's the whole arm thing."  
  
"Oh my god!  You didn't just go there!"  She rolls her eyes and winks up at Bucky.  "I think he's jealous of us."  
  
"What can I say?  All the young superheroes love me." Bucky shoots a wicked grin at Clint.    
  
Steve is smirking and so is Matt.  
  
Peter and Jessica are exchanging confused looks.  
  
Kate smiles.  Forget publishing.  This is her world and she loves it.  
  
  
  


 

 

 


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

 

"You were twelve when this happened?" Bucky asks. 

Matt shifts uncomfortably at both the question and Bucky's tone. Peter knows from experience that Matt doesn't like to talk about certain aspects of his childhood. He's never mentioned the man who took him from the orphanage. Until now. Matt clears his throat. "This isn't about me. This is about another child potentially being in danger." He softens his tone. "I appreciate the sentiment, Barnes. Truly. But I'm not a child who needs your protection."

"Too bad," Clint says sharply. "Because we've all got your back anyway."

"And we appreciate that," Foggy says, squeezing into the small conference room with Karen. They're both holding a stack of documents. "JARVIS identified fifteen possible shipments and we've narrowed it down to five over the next forty-eight hours. Four are arriving tonight."

"What else can we do to help?" Karen asks. The question is probably directed at all of them but she's looking at Steve when she speaks.

Peter watches the way Steve looks at her, noting the way Steve's expression softens and gets a little goofy. He's about to elbow Bucky but Bucky elbows him first. They exchange quick grins and Bucky elbows him again.

"You've done plenty so far," Steve assures Karen. "Thank you."

"Are you kidding? It's... it's an honor to help you guys," Foggy tells him.

Matt's mouth curves into a smile. "You never say that about helping me."

"That's because helping you get yourself beat to a pulp *isn't* fun," Foggy shoots back. "At least I know that if we're right this time, you're less likely to die out there."

"I'm not going to *die* out there, Foggy."

"You have a trauma nurse on speed dial."

"They're like this every day," Karen apologizes to Steve. "Or, every other day."

Steve gets to his feet and raps once, loudly, on the conference room table. Foggy and Matt fall silent and now that he's sure he has everyone's attention, Steve speaks. "We're going to divide into teams and --"

Peter raises his hand.

"Peter?"

"If there's even a slight chance Magneto's going to show up with his evil entourage, shouldn't we call in the X-Men?" Peter asks. "Not that we're not, y'know, really great at what we do but... well..."

"Unfortunately," Steve says slowly, "the X-Men are dealing with another, possibly even more dangerous threat."

Peter's eyes go wide and his mouth goes dry. Kitty's told him stories, of course, but he always thought that Magneto was the worst mutant threat out there. "More dangerous?"

"How about Thor?" Clint suggests.

"I haven't been able to reach him. Bruce is on standby and Tony..." Steve trails off. "We can do this."

"We can," Matt agrees. "But the children shouldn't."

Kate leaps to her feet. "We're not children."

"I'm already involved," Peter protests.

"Me too," Jessica agrees.

"And even if you say no, you can't stop the After School Avengers," Kate declares. "We'll do it anyway."

Peter fights the urge to roll his eyes. "The what?"

"After School Avengers. Young Avengers? Whatever, we'll come up with a name --"

"No," he cuts her off, getting to his feet. "We won't. This isn't some game and these aren't purse snatchers like you're used to dealing with. Magneto and his guys won't think twice about killing you and I can't stop them if I'm busy keeping you out of danger."

"Who says I need you to keep me out of danger?" Kate shoots back at Peter. 

"Name one super-powered bad guy you've taken down by yourself." He folds his arms across his chest and glares at her.

Jessica gets to her feet and mirrors his pose. "By your logic, Clint shouldn't be fighting, either. This isn't about individual achievement, it's about being part of a team. Contributing your strengths and relying on the strength of others."

"Oh my God," Peter groans. "I'm arguing with myself."

"Shut up and sit down!" Bucky barks. "All of you."

They sit and all look chastened.

Bucky smiles smugly and looks over at Steve, raising an eyebrow in a silent question. 

"Are you sure, Buck?"

"You think they'll listen to anybody else?" 

"Fair enough," Steve concurs. "Young Avengers, you're all with Bucky. You do what he says, when he says it or you're off the team. Permanently."

Peter raises his hand.

"Yes, Peter?"

"Why am I being punished? I was an Avenger five minutes ago." It takes everything he has not to whine or sound as put out as he feels at the demotion.

Steve's expression turns stern. "I'm giving you a direct order to report to Bucky, Peter."

Peter shoots a glare in Kate's direction before responding, "Yessir."

Kate doesn't even bother to hide her smirk.

"You're my XO," Bucky tells Peter and then directs his attention to Jessica and Kate. "You two are going to have to earn my trust in the field and the best way to start is by respecting the chain of command."

"Yessir," Jessica and Kate tell him.

Steve eyes each of them before returning his gaze to Matt. "Matt and Clint, you're with me. Foggy and Karen, I'd like you both to go to the Tower and coordinate with JARVIS and Tony."

"We're part of the team?" Foggy's face lights up like he's a kid and it's Christmas morning.

"You've been part of the team for a while now," Steve tells him solemnly. "I'm asking you to do more than I've ever asked before. We need your experience and expertise to --"

"I'll do it!" 

Steve doesn't bother hiding his amused grin at Foggy's enthusiastic response. "Thank you, Foggy. Karen?"

Karen's smile is full of warmth. "You really know how to show a dame a swell time, Stevie."

Everybody watches as Steve's ears go pink and then the blush creeps down his neck. Even Matt is smiling.

"Uh... Um..." Steve clears his throat. "Everyone gather your gear and let's assemble at the Tower in one hour. I'll have detailed assignments then. Buck, you're with me."

"Petey," Bucky gets to his feet. "I want you to brief the team and get them kitted out."

Peter looks over at his newest team members. "You heard the man. Young Avengers, assemble!"


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12  
  
  
  
  
Steve is in the middle of pulling on his left glove when JARVIS sounds a gentle chime, letting him know he has a visitor.    
  
"Ms. Page to see you, Captain Rogers."  
  
The right glove slips from his grasp as he looks around his quarters to make sure the place is tidy and presentable for a visitor.  This visitor.  Karen. 

"Sir?" JARVIS prompts.  
  
"Um... uh..."  
  
"I'll let her in, sir."  There's the slightest hint of mirth in the AI's artificial voice.  
  
Steve is in front of the door before it finishes opening and the first thing he sees is Karen, with her mouth hanging open, eyes wide as she looks him up and down.  
  
"Holy shit!"  Karen claps a hand over her mouth.  "Oh God.  Sorry.  It's just... Holy shit!"  
  
He looks down at himself to make sure he's actually in his suit and not hanging out of it in any obscene way.  Nope.  Everything is perfect, except for the glove that's still in his hand.  "Um... Come in."  
  
She steps past him and then turns to stare some more.    
  
The staring is starting to unnerve him.  "Karen?"  
  
"Holy shit," she says for the third time.  "You're really Captain America.  I mean... I knew you were -- are -- but...  All this time you've been this... this... amazing, super-sweet guy that I've been dating named Steve and now here you are in your fancy flag suit and it's blowing my mind."  
  
Steve swallows hard.  "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"  
  
Karen looks him up and down again.  "I... It's a lot to absorb, honestly."   She tucks her hair behind her ear.  "It was one thing when I knew that Matt was the Devil of Hell's Kitchen.  That made sense, in its own weird way.  You...  You're the guy from the history books and you're also the guy I made out with on my sofa last night and..."  She trails off and gestures vaguely.  
  
"I'm the same guy," he tells her, suddenly worried that she's about to tell him they're done.  "It's just a uniform.  Un-unless it's the age difference.  Is it the age difference?"  
  
"No!  God, no!" Her hand hovers as if she's thinking of touching him and then drops as she blushes.  "Just..."  She gestures at him again.  "You're kind of larger than life dressed like that."  
  
"It's just a uniform," Steve repeats.  "It's me under here.  The same man who kissed you last night.  Who wants to kiss you now."  He shoves his nerves aside to pull her to him and relaxes at last when her arms slide around him.  
  
"It really is you under there," Karen says when they break apart.    
  
"It is."  Under there is getting a little uncomfortably tight in certain places.  Damn StarkArmor.  "Are you feeling a little less...uh, mind blown?"  
  
"Less mind blown," Karen agrees, "and more turned on."  She claps a hand to her mouth again.  "Shit!  Sorry.  I know that kind of talk embarrasses you."  
  
It does and he's blushing even though he's heard variations of that comment before. It's different hearing her say it because he's feeling exactly the same way.   Steve inwardly curses his inexperience with relationships and particularly with modern relationships.  Bucky would have known how to handle this and exactly what to say.    
  
"It's okay, Steve."  Karen takes his un-gloved hand in hers. "We've only had three dates and whatever this is right now --"  
  
"I'm nuts about you."  The words fly out of his mouth before he can stop them and now he's blushing even harder.  "I just... I..."    
  
Karen squeezes his hand and looks up at him with such adoration that it makes his knees weak.  "Steve, I'm nuts about you, too.  You.  Steve Rogers.  Not Captain America.  Though I have to admit, I would love to peel you out of that super-suit right now and... ugh... Sorry.  Explicit talk.  Sorry!"  
  
"Don't be.  Please."  He clears his throat.  "I wish... I wish we had time for that but --"  
  
"You have to go be a hero."  
  
"I do."  
  
"I'd ask you to be careful out there but I've seen the footage of what you do."  She traces the star on his chest with a fingertip.  "I'll be waiting for you."  
  
"I promise you," Steve tells her.  "I'll be back."  
  
"You bet your star spangled ass you will, soldier."  
  
And he blushes again...  
  
  
  
  
00000000000000000000  
  
  
  
Barnes pauses outside the door to the conference room and listens.  Petey is talking but so far, there's no bickering with the rest of his teammates.  The topic seems to be Magneto and data that SHIELD compiled on the man's abilities.  He lets himself into the room and doesn't say a word as Petey goes into a detailed scientific explanation about magnetic fields and electromagnetism.  
  
Jessica is listening intently but Kate's nose is wrinkling in a combination of boredom and irritation.  
  
"Excuse me," she interrupts.  "That's all well and good, but how do we stop him, since none of us can reverse his polarity?"  
  
Petey grins at her.  "That's the thing, Hawkeye.  Every time the X-Men go after him, they try to physically subdue him or knock him out with telepathy.  I'm guessing that's probably Steve's plan, too.  That approach is messy.  Bystanders get hurt, property gets damaged and heroes get seriously injured.  What Mags isn't expecting is science."  
  
"What are we going to do, drop a Faraday Cage on him?" Jessica asks.  
  
"That keeps electromagnetism out, not in," Peter says.  "Magnetism only works on conductive metals.  It won't work on wood, like Hawkeye's arrows or my new plastic webshooters.  It also doesn't work on gases unless they're ferromagnetic and even then only for short periods because of their instability."  
  
Kate's mouth curves into a smile.  "Knockout gas arrows using plastic casing that's thin enough to shatter on impact."  
  
"Exactly.  Tony has prototypes that he's preparing for you and Clint that'll be ready in about twenty minutes."  
  
"All I need is an opening."  
  
Peter nods.  "You'll have one.  Between Jessica and me, you'll have one.  With our Spidey sense, we should be able to get in close.  Even if we get gassed, our healing factors should have us recovering in minutes.  Magneto doesn't have a healing factor so he'll be down for the count."  
  
"What about Mystique?" Jessica asks.  
  
"Matt's the only one who'll be able to know who she is once she starts shifting and she's going to shift during battle, if everything SHIELD has on file is correct," Peter says.  "One of us should stick close to him and take her out early in the game so that she's less of a distraction.  She's strong because she can shift her mass to accommodate her shapeshifting but she's not stronger than Jessica or me."  
  
Barnes fights back a proud smile at Petey's calm tone and the soundness of his plan, which is identical to the one he and Steve sketched out not twenty minutes before.  The kid is on his way to leading his own team.  "And Sabretooth?"  
  
Peter looks over at him.  "We inflict the most catastrophic damage we can to slow him down.  Fighting him is pointless.  He's vicious and he heals incredibly fast.  So we either damage him so that it takes him a long time to heal or we trap him in something he can't get out of and I don't think that would be our webbing."  
  
"Leave him to me," Barnes says.  
  
"But --"  
  
"I have it."  He decides not to mention the mission for HYDRA where he took down Wolverine. Not permanently, of course, but long enough to complete his mission.  There's not a doubt in his mind that he'll be able to shut down Sabretooth if he gives in to his Winter Soldier programming. "What about the Chaste?"  
  
"Peter and I have both sparred with Matt," Jessica puts in.  "We're faster than he is and we have spider-sense that makes it almost impossible for him to land a blow.  If that's true of Stick and his crew, we should be able to take them out."  
  
"Don't underestimate them," Barnes warns.  "You're thinking of taking them on one-on-one.  That's not gonna happen in a battle.  You'll be squaring off against all of them and Magneto.  It's going to be messy."  
  
"Speaking of messy..."  Kate points at Barnes' left arm.  "That's kind of a huge liability until we get Magneto out of picture."  
  
"A potentially fatal liability," Peter adds.  "You need to stay out of harm's way until we take him down."  
  
Barnes narrows his eyes at the boy.  "Are you givin' me an order, you little punk?"  
  
"Watch out.  He'll kick you off the team for not respecting the chain of command," Kate smirks.  "And it's the After School Avengers, not the Young Avengers.  We don't want to sound like we're in kindergarten."  
  
Peter shoots her a look.  "Since when?"  
  
"Since I decided it's a stupid name."  
  
"After School Avengers isn't a stupid name?"  Peter rolls his eyes at her.  "Then again, you're Hawkeye, so why am I even bothering asking you?"  He turns his attention back to Barnes.  "And no, I'm not giving you an order but I think we'd all rather Magneto didn't pull your arm and its metal support structure clean off your body because even with your healing factor, the shock and blood loss might actually kill you.  Do you want to see the projections I ran?"  
  
"You ran projections?"  Barnes stares at him.  Steve mentioned the same concern but with a less fatalistic outcome and without using math.  Of course Petey would use math.  It shouldn't surprise him.    
  
"JARVIS ran them at my instruction," Petey explains.  
  
"I'm under orders to drag you out of danger," Jessica informs Barnes.  "Willingly or not."  
  
Kate smirks at Barnes.  "You've got a mutiny on your hands, Buckbeak."  
  
"Buckbeak?" he echoes.  "What the hell's a Buckbeak?"  
  
"The hippogriff," Kate says, as if that explains everything.  Which it doesn't.  
  
"Easily offended, hippogriffs are."  Jessica elbows Kate.  
  
"Don't ever insult one because it might be the last thing that you'll do," Kate finishes.  
  
Barnes looks from one kid to the other and it occurs to him for the first time that he might actually be in over his head, Winter Soldier or not.  He has a feeling that this won't be the last time he thinks it, either.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13  
  
  
  
  
  
Jessica is crouched in position on top of a stack of shipping containers.  Peter is further down the pier.  The snipers -- Clint, Kate and Bucky -- are all watching Pier 48 from perches where they're invisible to her eyes.  Matt is hidden somewhere nearby and so is Steve.  She has no idea how Steve is managing to be almost invisible in his brightly colored uniform.  Off to her far left, a tugboat is guiding the Tetsuyama into its berth.  It's scheduled to dock in the next fifteen minutes which means that if there is a Black Sky and it's on that ship, all the players should be gathering.  
  
As if on cue, a black panel truck pulls up to the pier and four men emerge.  They're wearing suits and Jessica is guessing they're armed.  Two of the men are Japanese, one is Caucasian and the fourth...  She's not sure what he is other than the one that seems to be in charge.  He's shorter than the others and he's got a strange haircut that looks almost like horns coming up on either side of his head.  They're speaking too quietly for her to hear but she's sure Matt hears every word.  Matt isn't sharing that information because the rule is 'radio silence' until Magneto or Stick or the Black Sky makes an appearance.   If they make an appearance.    
  
Jessica tears her attention from 'horn hair guy' and looks over her shoulder to discover that she's not alone.  Stick is standing right behind her.  The corners of his mouth quirk slightly and then set back into a scowl as he tilts his head in a manner so reminiscent of Matt that Jessica almost forgets what she's supposed to do because she's so enthralled by the similarities.  
  
Stick seems to know that she's supposed to announce his presence because he shakes his head slightly and raises a finger to his lips.  He's got a pair of wooden sticks in his right hand that Jessica recognizes as some kind of weapon but he's just holding them, not brandishing them in any kind of threatening way.   Now that she's getting over the surprise of not being alone, it occurs to her that this must be the right shipment, otherwise Stick wouldn't be standing here with her.  
  
She has a choice.  If she announces his presence, she's going to have to try to stop him and the scuffle will warn 'horn hair guy' at a minimum and cause all sorts of cascading problems at a maximum, like the shipment being diverted elsewhere.  If she doesn't...  Well, she'll have to try to stop him that much later.  It's a choice of timing.  
  
One grey eyebrow arches a fraction, as if he's somehow been privy to her internal debate.  If he's anything like Matt, he probably knows everything based on her heartbeat and her breathing.  Maybe Matt can hear all of that even without a comm link and he knows everything too.  Jessica hopes that's the case.  
  
She nods at Stick.  
  
Stick nods back and he doesn't move as she positions herself at his side.  
  
Partners, then.  At least for now.  
  
  
  
0000000000000000000000000000  
  
  
  
It's a ballsy play but whether it's Jessie or Stick who's ballsier, Clint's not sure.  All he knows is that the old guy is standing on top of the shipping container with her, right there in plain sight and Jessie hasn't rung the alarm.  Not that she's wrong and if anyone says she is, he'll give them an earful.  She's playing it smart, not alerting the new player on the scene to their presence.  The other smart thing she's doing is not turning her back on Stick and putting all her trust in that spider sense thing to keep her out of danger.  Smart.  For an old guy, Stick moves like he's Jessie's age.  Taking him on, even with her spider-powers and whatever combat training she has is going to be a challenge.  
  
The real question is who the new guy is.  Clint has a feeling Murdock might have some idea about that but the radio silence rule is preventing them from discussing it.  Of course, they all know Stick is here and he knows they're here, so radio silence is a moot point.  
  
That's when Clint decides the hell with radio silence.  "Who's the haircut?"  
  
"Leland Owlsley the Second," comes Steve's reply and there's no rebuke for breaking radio silence, confirming the correctness of Clint's decision.  "Calls himself the Owl."  
  
"Should I go back up Jessica?" Peter asks.  
  
"Negative," Steve tells him.  "Ship's docking now.  Look sharp."  
  
Clint is looking for a lot of things.  Magneto, with his flair for dramatic entrances, will probably enter from the air.  Sabretooth is probably skulking in the shadows somewhere and Clint is willing to bet cash that Mystique is either a dockworker or one of the guys with the Owl.  He glances over at the neighboring rooftop to see that Barnes has left his post.  There's only one reason for that.  Sabretooth is in the house.  He turns to the rooftop to his left and gives Katie a thumbs up.  Katie nocks a knockout gas arrow and aims it directly at Stick.  
  
The ship is in its berth and the process of securing it has begun.  Clint knows from experience how long that can take but even so, the containers are sitting right there out in the open and one of the Owl's guys is getting behind the wheel of a crane.  That narrows the list of potential containers to one of the six top-most ones.  Clint readies an arrow of his own and keeps his eyes peeled.  
  
Any.  Second.  Now.  
  
It all happens at once.  
  
Just like in one of those arcade games, the crane reaches for one of the containers and comes up empty.  But unlike in an arcade game, it's not because the crane doesn't grip tightly.  It's because the container is flying through the air and heading directly for the Owl.  
  
Magneto.  
  
Dramatic entrance.  
  
  
  
00000000000000000  
  
  
  
  
Peter sees the shipping container being hurled towards the Owl and he doesn't hesitate.  He shoots a web line, snags the Owl, and pulls him out of the way just as the container lands heavily on the pier.    
  
"Let go of me!" the Owl protests.  
  
"Sure, pal," Peter agrees, shoving the strange looking man up against a lamp post and webbing him in place.  "Stick around and we'll catch up later."  
  
His spider sense warns him just as one of the Owl's cronies tries to attack him from behind.  The guy is fast enough to dodge Peter's webbing.  The guy...  isn't a guy.    
  
"Mystique," Peter announces and hopes that Matt has a read on her in case she slips past him.  He knows she's a distraction because he hears the metal shipping container being torn open behind him.  
  
The thing is, Mystique is a dangerous distraction.  She's fast and she's vicious.  Even with his spider sense and his speed, she manages to land a couple of blows that might have hurt if he didn't have the proportionate strength of a spider.    
  
Unlike most of Peter's adversaries, Mystique fights quietly.  He's used to the insane soliloquies of Doc Ock and Norman Osborn.  Then again, he's also been up against people who know how to fight and have super strength.  Mystique knows how to fight, but she doesn't have the strength.  
  
Peter has the advantage.  
  
Bucky would tell him to stop holding back.  
  
And Bucky would be right.  
  
So far, Peter's been dodging Mystique's attack.  He hasn't gone on the offensive.  
  
Until now.  
  
"Now, now, Bitchy Smurf," Peter says, dodging a kick and grabbing Mystique's ankle.  He pulls her off her feet and sends her flying onto her blue ass.  "You need to Smurf down before you hurt yourself."  
  
Mystique doesn't miss a beat.  She tucks, rolls and bounces back up as if she were made out of rubber.  And then she turns herself into Mary Jane.  
  
Peter sees red instead of blue.    
  
And he attacks.  
  
  
  
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The metal shipping container tears open with a screech.  
  
Jessica throws herself into Stick, knocking him down before she can even register that there's a girl inside the container.  
  
"Girlie," Stick growls, trying to sweep her feet out from under her.  "You just bought yourself a world of trouble."  
  
"Do I get fries with that?"  Great.  Now she's making quips like Peter.  
  
Of course he doesn't answer.  He attacks.  And damn, he's fast for an old, blind ninja-type guy.  
  
Spider sense barely gets her out of the way of his hands and feet.  
  
They go back and forth, taking each other's measure for what seems like hours while chaos erupts on the docks below.  
  
Jessica narrowly avoids a kick to the ribs and doesn't avoid a powerful blow to her upper arm that numbs the entire arm.  That's when she decides to introduce Stick to the wonderful world of webs.  
  
The old man twists out of the way so that the only thing she succeeds in grabbing his his hat.  Still, he doesn't bother hiding his surprise at this latest plot twist.  "What the hell...?!"  
  
"One of the many reasons they call me Spider-woman."  She grins under her mask as her healing factor brings her arm alive again.    
  
"Silk," he rasps, ducking under her punch.  "Better name.  Think about it."  
  
"Dude, you are *not* my sensei."  But he does have a point about the name.  
  
"I should be."  
  
"Don't I have to be blind?"  
  
"You're kidding."  Stick goes completely still, raising both hands to signal a time out.  "He took in a sighted kid?"  
  
"Nobody's perfect."  Jessica ends the time out with a barrage of webbing.    
  
Stick counters with a series of kicks and blows that have her somersaulting across the top of the shipping container.  
  
She's holding back.  Peter holds back.  
  
She's not Peter.  
  
And unlike Peter, she's had combat training, courtesy of her HYDRA handlers.  Granted, it wasn't a lot of training but combined with her speed and strength, Jessica isn't surprised when she succeeds in body-slamming Stick off the top of the shipping container and down onto the concrete below, knocking the wind out of him.  He starts to recover but it's too late.  She's already used her webbing to hold him in place and cocoon him.    
  
"Stick's down."  
  
Matt doesn't wear a comm link but she knows that wherever he is, he's proud of her.  
  


 

 


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14  
  
  
  
Peter asked if Kate had ever taken taken down a super-powered bad guy by herself.  Truth be told, she's never even seen one up close.  Until today.  Today, she's diving off the deep end with her team of After School Avengers and the honest-to-God-Avengers and taking on a boat load of super-powered bad guys.  She cuts her eyes over to Clint.  He's still as a statue, observing the chaos below.  
  
And God, is it chaos!  
  
Four red-clad ninjas are squaring off with two black-clad ninjas in front of the shredded shipping container with the Japanese Black Sky kid and Kate has no idea which team is the good guys.  If any.  
  
Making things more complicated is the fact that Magneto brought a couple more friends besides Mystique and Sabretooth.  There's a guy hopping around, squaring off against Daredevil that she thinks might be the Toad and a huge, fat guy that is definitely the Blob who's keeping Captain America busy.  She has a vague idea where the Winter Soldier is because she's hearing a hell of a lot of gunfire to the south, along with the occasional roar, crash and -- holy shit, that was an explosion!  
  
Chaos.  
  
She can handle chaos.  Right?  Right.  
  
One target at a time.  
  
But which one?  
  
Over to her left, she sees Spidey squaring off against...  Well, it's supposed to be Mystique but she's changed her appearance to look like a red-haired girl.  Whoever the ginger is, she must be important to Spidey because he freezes and his hesitation gets him a vicious kick that snaps his head to one side.  His running commentary about Smurfs halts abruptly.  
  
"Status Spider-man," Steve grunts over the comms.  Apparently, Spidey's sudden silence is cause for concern.  
  
Spidey doesn't answer.  They can all hear him breathing, ragged and heavy.  
  
"Report," Steve repeats.  
  
There's no report forthcoming because Spider-man is too busy beating the snot out of Mystique.  He's moving so fast that Kate can barely track him.  They hear the sounds of fists meeting flesh coming over the comms.  
  
Even though Spidey doesn't need her help, she nocks a special arrow and aims it anyway.  The plan is to get Mystique out of the way, not engage in grudge matches with her.  Kate knows about his spider sense so she doesn't bother warning him when she lets the arrow fly.  
  
Spidey gets out of the way.  
  
The arrow lodges itself in Mystique's shoulder and she drops when the tranquilizer hits her system.  A moment later, her skin ripples and turns back to its blue scaly self.  
  
"Thanks, Hawkeye," Spidey says, his voice sounding raw as it comes over the comm.  He webs Mystique into a cocoon and, in what Kate is sure is spite, webs a gag over her mouth.  
  
"You're welcome," Kate tells him.  
  
His head lifts up in her direction and she realizes he thought the assist came from Clint.    
  
"Ready to take on Magneto?" she asks.  
  
"Be careful," Steve warns them and then grunts as the Blob hits him so hard that he flies through the air, crash landing onto stack of shipping containers.  He barely rolls out of the way as the stack of containers comes crashing down, thanks to Magneto.  
  
Kate's heart leaps into her throat and starts to beat again when she sees that Steve is fine.  
  
No, she's never taken on a super-powered bad guy before.  
  
But she's going to do it now.  
  
  
  
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Barnes is grateful that Sabretooth is trying to lure at least one of them away from the fray.  Truth be told, Barnes doesn't want anybody -- especially Petey -- to see what the Soldier truly is.  What he's capable of.  Petey thinks he knows but he doesn't.  And he shouldn't.  Ever.    
  
Nobody should see what he's really capable of.  God, even he doesn't want to see it but he's going to have to if he's going to help his friends.  He can't hold back.  Not now.  With that thought in mind, Barnes raises his AR416 and lets the Soldier take over.  
  
The Soldier took down Wolverine once, maybe twice.  Those memories are lost but the technique isn't.  It's a simple technique really.  The Soldier needs to make every shot a mortal wound and overwhelm Sabretooth's healing factor.  His task is made harder by the speed at which Sabretooth can move, coupled with how fast the sonofabitch can heal, not to mention his enhanced senses and just how viciously he can fight.  
  
But the Soldier knows how to compensate for that.  He disguises his scent by ducking through the smoke coming from the chimneys of the buildings he leaps across while he tails Sabretooth and he stays downwind.  There isn't a sound as he leaps and lands and when he fires his barrage of bullets at the mutant, Sabretooth is completely taken by surprise.  
  
Sabretooth's bellows of pain testify to the Soldier's accuracy.  He's bleeding from wounds to his lungs and his stomach.  Arterial blood is spraying from three separate places and still the sonofabitch is moving in to attack the Soldier.  
  
Not that it matters.  
  
The Soldier drops his gun and takes out a pair of very sharp Gerber assault knives.  He leaps from the building to the sidewalk below.  
  
Sabretooth bares his teeth.  
  
The Soldier goes to work.  
  
  
  
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Now that Matt knows Stick has followers, he was expecting them to show up.  What he wasn't expecting was a group of enemies of the Chaste to show up.  Clint has helpfully identified these enemies as the Hand and emphatically stated that they are most definitely not the Avengers' allies.  
  
Not that it matters at the moment.  
  
At the moment, Matt has his hands full with the mutant called the Toad.  
  
Toad moves like Peter and Jessica but instead of webs, the Toad has a tongue.  A long, prehensile tongue.  It's quite possibly one of the most disgusting things Matt has ever encountered, especially because the Toad has what Matt believes might be a form of halitosis caused by his bizarre mutation.  
  
No.  Not halitosis.  
  
Saliva.  
  
Matt's been spit at before but not like this.  
  
"Don't get that on your skin," Clint warns over the comm links, loud enough for Matt to overhear.  "It's poison."  
  
"What's poison?" Steve asks.  
  
"That was for the Devil," Clint clarifies.  "Watch your six, Cap.  Ninja headed your way.  I'll try to... Damn.  He's one of Stick's.  He heard me and he's off the grid."  
  
Between the chatter and the chaos, Matt's senses and focus are being stretched to their limit.  He's trying to focus on the Toad, but he also needs to be aware of whatever Magneto's throwing around and the man is throwing everything metal.  To Matt's relief, he seems to be focusing on Steve and Matt is relieved when he hears Peter and Jessica getting ready to take Magneto out of the game.  Clint and Kate are attempting to pick off the Chaste and the Hand.  Off in the distance, Bucky Barnes is doing horrible things to Sabretooth.  
  
All of this leaves Matt free to deal with the Toad.  
  
And then someone unexpected backs him up by throwing a knife into the Toad's arm.  
  
"God damn," Stick swears.  "That little bastard's breath could take down a dinosaur."  
  
"How did you get loose?"  
  
"Really?  You want to have a discussion about that?  Right now?"  
  
Matt hates it when Stick is right.  He hates it even more that Stick is actually helping.  "You're not killing that little girl."  
  
Stick snorts and dodges an attack by the Toad.  "Really?  You want to have *that* discussion again?  Now?  Do you also want me to kick your ass again?"  
  
"Please do."  The Toad has a British accent.  Manchester.  "Brother."  
  
"I'm not your brother, asshole," Stick tells him.  "Goddamn freak."  
  
"Isn't that what the Black Sky is?" Matt asks, slashing at the Toad's tongue with his batons.  "A mutant?"  
  
Stick groans.  "That's a lazy way of looking at it."  
  
"You want to be the one to tell Magneto he's lazy?"  
  
"Magneto's not my problem.  He's that Owl idiot's."  Stick manages to grab the Toad's tongue and pulls, sending the Toad flying.  "Dumbass is manufacturing that mutant growth hormone shit and thought the Black Sky would be just the thing to boost sales.  He went and allied himself with the Hand.  Between Magneto and the Hand, I wouldn't want to be him."  
  
Matt finishes knocking the Toad unconscious.  "Who are the Hand?"  
  
"Remember the enemy I mentioned when I was training your incompetent, emotional ass?  That would be them."  He makes a sweeping gesture.  "There's a half dozen of them waiting to make your acquaintance.  You might want to get that little girl of yours to help you."  
  
"Leave her out of this," Matt snarls.  
  
"I'm not the one who dragged her in."  Stick leaps up onto one of the overturned shipping containers as he makes his way over to where the Chaste and the Hand are fighting.  Of course Matt follows him.  "I told you to cut ties and instead of listening, you went and got yourself a kid."  He pauses.  "She's got potential."  
  
"You're not training her."  
  
"And you are?"  Stick snorts. "That kid used techniques I never taught you.  'Sides, I'm practically her grandpa."  
  
"Stay the hell away from her!"  Emotions.  He's supposed to control them but he never could when it came to Stick and he definitely can't when it comes to his kid.  
  
Stick cocks his head to the side.  "Well, sonofabitch.  She's got a twin brother."  
  
"Stay away from him, too."  
  
"You think maybe we've got bigger problems than you needing to be loved?"  
  
Matt doesn't even bother answering.  The bigger problems are headed their way in the form of a heavy anchor that Magneto tore from the Tetsuyama.  It's hurtling in their direction at an alarming rate of speed.  
  
Well, it would be alarming if they didn't have enhanced senses.  
  
He has no idea how he's going to explain how he allied himself with Stick to Steve later.  
  
Assuming they all survive.  
  
  
  
0000000000000000000  
  
  
  
The plan is simple, which means it might actually work.  
  
At least, Peter hopes it does.  
  
He swings towards the Tetsuyama, where Magneto is standing and periodically flinging cargo containers, both whole and in pieces.  Peter dodges chunks of metal and lands on the side of the ship.  It doesn't take him long to climb up to the top where Magneto is standing.  
  
Of course, that's when Magneto decides to hurl the cargo container Peter is crouching on.  
  
Peter shoots a webline for the nearest crane and leaps off the container, praying that it doesn't hurt anybody below.  He lands directly in front of Magneto and is gratified when the Master of Magnetism actually backs up in surprise.  
  
"Oh, hey, is now a good time to continue that conversation?" Peter asks.  He doesn't bother waiting for an answer.  Instead, he shoots webbing right into Magneto's face.  Helmet.  Whatever.  
  
"Boy," Magneto snarls as the helmet seems to melt right off his head.  His pale eyes narrow at Peter and his face is a mask of unbridled fury.  "You're going to regret your foolish actions and alliances."  
  
"You think I'll regret it more than those skinny jeans I let that sales girl talk me into that time?" Peter asks.  
  
Jessica swings down from the Tetsuyama's other loading crane and kicks Magneto across the deck.  "Probably not.  I think you'll be regretting that for years."  
  
"I was afraid of that."  
  
"It pains me to destroy children with such potential," Magneto says.  
  
"Not as much as it pains us to hear you making speeches," Jessica assures him.  "Oh hey, are you going to do the one where you think people are mutant foodstuffs again?  Because I have to say, that was both gross and entertaining.  What do you think Spidey?  Was that speech better or worse than one of Doc Ock's?"  
  
Peter ducks as the hook from the loading crane comes swinging in his direction.  "Maggie hasn't called us insolent or imbeciles."  
  
"Give him a few minutes."  Jessica dodges the hook on its return path.  "He's probably just getting warmed up."  
  
"I should have let Sabretooth and Mystique amuse themselves with you!" Magneto thunders.  His expression turns even crueler as he eyes Peter.  "Mystique said you were quite responsive to her ministrations."  
  
Peter freezes in shock and nearly gets hit with the hook but Jessica knocks him out of harm's way.  "Th-thanks."  
  
"Don't thank me," Jessica says, as an arrow hits Magneto square in the chest.  It's quickly followed by another.  She grabs Peter and throws him over the side of the ship, diving after him into the water.  "Thank the Hawkeyes."  
  
"Magneto is down," Kate shouts triumphantly.  "I repeat.  Magneto is down."  
  
Jessica grabs onto the side of the ship.  "Let's go back up there and web the daylights out of him."  
  
"Let's pants him first," Peter grins.  
  
They high five and start climbing.  
  
  
  


 

 

 

 


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the Earth 1610 continuity, the Blob is Franklin Dukes -- and Liz Allen's dad!!!

  
Chapter 15  
  
  
  
  
Three teenagers just took down one of the most dangerous mutants on the planet.  Steve wishes he had time to bask in just how proud he is of those kids.  But he doesn't.  He's fighting with another one of the most dangerous mutants on the planet.  The Blob.  Franklin Dukes can adjust his body mass at will and make himself immovable, even to someone with Steve's strength.  The Hulk, on the other hand, could probably move Dukes but Steve isn't ready to escalate things that far.  Not yet anyway.  
  
Hand to hand isn't working well.  What he needs is his shield.  
  
As if in answer to his prayers, there's a flash of red and blue and Peter clumsily sends the shield spinning in his direction. "Head's up, Cap!"  
  
A flash of red goes past and the Blob roars as he gets a face-full of Jessica's organic webbing.  "Go, Hawkeye!"  
  
Steve has a fraction of a second to register the arrow that explodes on impact with the Blob's chest because Jessica is swinging him out of the way of the expanding cloud of knockout gas.  They land on top of an overturned shipping container and watch as the Blob drops to his knees, stunned but not unconscious.  
  
"Hit him again," Jessica tells the Hawkeyes.  
  
"I'm out of knockout arrows," Kate says over the comms.  "Clint?"  
  
"Also out."  An arrow goes flying through the air anyway.  "Let's see how he does with an exploding arrow."  
  
The arrow hits the Blob's chest  and there's a powerful blast that puts a crater into the concrete but he's still conscious, kneeling and clawing at the webbing on his face.  
  
Steve picks his trajectory and hurls his shield, watching as it ricochets off a pair of shipping containers and bounces off the back of the Blob's head.  He catches the shield on its return trip and frowns when the Blob staggers to his feet, still trying to tear the webbing off.  "Damn."  
  
Jessica is moving before he can stop her, launching herself right into the Blob's path and webbing his ankles together.  
  
The Blob topples to the ground, shaking the entire pier as he falls.    
  
Peter swings in and webs the Blob's hand to the ground.  
  
Jessica gets the Blob's other hand.    
  
"Now Steve!"  Peter orders.  
  
Being ordered around by a wet-behind-the-ears fifteen year old would be funny or even more than a little insulting if the improvised attack on the Blob wasn't perfectly executed.  And synchronized.  Without being discussed in advance by the two spider-kids.  Steve hurls his shield again and it hits the Blob squarely in the chin with a resounding crack.  
  
The Blob slumps sideways, unable to fall all the way down because of the webbing holding him upright.  He is down for the count.  
  
"Dude," Jessica says, in hushed, awe-filled tones."You just gave Captain America an order."  
  
"Oh crap," Peter moans.  "I'm in so much trouble."  
  
  
  
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Clint suppresses a smile.  For all the problems that Peter Parker comes with, for all of his insecurities, the kid is a brave little fighter and he's damned smart when it comes to figuring out how to take down his enemies.  So is his sister-clone.    
  
He cuts his eyes over to his own protege.  Kate's risen to the challenge just like he knew she could.  The girl's got guts.  And she's damned good.  The three of them make a hell of a team and he knows Steve's too impressed to put any of them in the doghouse.  Even if Parker was ballsy enough to give Captain America himself an order.    
  
The mutants are down, which leaves the Hand and the Chaste.  
  
Clint beckons Kate over and watches proudly as she shoots a grappling arrow.  Her execution leaves a little something to be desired because she doesn't swing gracefully so much as crash into the side of the building.  Still, she hangs on and scrambles up to join him.  
  
And she's smiling even though he knows she's just knocked the wind out of herself and scraped herself up something fierce.  "Hey."  
  
"Ready for some synchronized sniping?"  
  
"Is that a thing?"  
  
"It is now."  He points down at the black and red blurs that are the ninjas.  "Hey.  Anybody see where the Black Sky kid went?"  
  
"On it," Peter responds.    
  
"Hey kid," Clint teases, "Maybe you want to let your CO give the order first."  
  
The sigh that fills the comms is almost heartbreaking.  "Sorry, Cap."  
  
"Spidey," Steve orders.  "Find the kid."  
  
"On it, Cap," Peter says brightly.  
  
Kate raises an eyebrow.    
  
Clint grins at her.  "Just because he's actually doing good out there doesn't mean we should let him get too cocky."  
  
"That's my team-mate you're talking about," she scolds him.  
  
"What happened to being my sidekick?" Clint pouts.  
  
"Protege and I still am.  I'm also an After School Avenger."  
  
And he could not be more proud.  
  
  
  
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The Soldier is nothing if not brutally efficient.  He's been conditioned not to acknowledge pain or fear.  The only thing that matters is the mission and the Soldier never, ever fails.  Sabretooth isn't nearly so single-minded, which is why he's bleeding out at the Soldier's feet.  Blood loss is only one of Sabretooth's problems.  There's a Ka-bar wedged into his brain, sending his healing factor into overdrive.  Other knives are wedged into every major organ, preventing that very efficient healing factor from doing its job.  Eventually, the knives will be forced out as tissue, muscle, bone and brain matter regenerate.  Eventually.  But for now, Sabretooth is out of the way.  
  
Mission completed.  
  
All that remains to be done is for the Soldier to fade back into the recesses of Barnes' mind.  
  
That would be failure.  The Soldier does not fail.  
  
He -- they -- need the one thing that can ground them, that can convince the Soldier to let go and put Barnes back in charge.  
  
Peter Parker.  
  
What he gets is something else entirely.  
  
Peter Parker's female clone.  She's clinging to the side of a building seventy degrees to his right and five stories up.  It's too high for the Soldier to jump, not too high for him to scale and within fatal range if he decides to shoot or throw a knife.  
  
The clone is registering as a potential threat but not an overt one.  
  
He needs Parker, not this... this...  Jessica.  "Its name is Jessica."  
  
Jessica lowers her mask, exposing eyes that are identical to Parker's and they are regarding the Soldier with an expression he cannot name.  "Your name is Bucky Barnes," she says softly.  "James Buchanan Barnes.  You're my friend."  
  
The Soldier has handlers.  He has superiors.  He has technicians.  He does not have friends.  
  
"Bucky Barnes has friends who love him," Jessica insists and the Soldier realizes he's speaking out loud.  "Even the Soldier part of him."  
  
The knife he pulls from his tac gear is cold between his fingers and the Soldier watches her eyes flick to it before returning to his face.  
  
"I love you, Bucky."  
  
The Soldier's hand shakes.  
  
"I love you," Jessica repeats, louder this time.  
  
His body convulses and the knife slips from his fingers.  Barnes drops to his knees and then folds over on himself, shaking and gasping for breath.  
  
Jessica is by his side in half a heartbeat, kneeling in front of him and positioning him until his face is pressed against her slender shoulder.  Both of her arms wrap tightly around him.  "I'm here, Bucky.  I've got you."  
  
Barnes embraces the girl and buries his face against her, holding onto her until his trembling subsides and his breathing steadies.  She's not Petey.  She's Jessica Drew Murdock.  And she's every bit as special as the kid they made her out of.  "Love you, too, kid."  
  


 

 


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Over the sounds of fists on flesh and metal on metal as the Chaste and the Hand fight it out, Matt hears Jessica talk Bucky Barnes down.  So does Stick.  
  
"That her real old man?" Stick asks idly.  "Heartbeat sounds about the same."  
  
Matt knows what his former mentor is trying to do so he does the smart thing and focuses on Peter just in time to hear Peter confirm Matt's suspicions.  
  
"Uh, Cap?" Peter says over the comms.  "Black Sky is gone.  Repeat, no sign of her."  
  
Not only is the Black Sky missing, but so is one of Stick's people.  At least, Matt thinks the missing warrior is one of Stick's.  Either way, he's holding Stick accountable.  "Is she dead?"  
  
"What do you think?" Stick fires back.  
  
Matt doesn't hesitate.  He goes after Stick with everything he has and it's a few months ago all over again as they trade vicious blows, the sounds of their fighting joining the chorus of the other combatants.  
  
"Not gonna go easy on you like last time," Stick hisses as he strikes a blow that sends Matt stumbling into a pile of shredded metal.  
  
Sharp metal tears through Matt's body armor, into the flesh of his thigh and his side.  
  
Stick doesn't give him a second to recover or catch his breath as he delivers a vicious kick that drives the sharp metal shards in deeper.  
  
The pain of being impaled is agonizing but Matt won't make a sound.  He won't give the bastard the satisfaction.  A barrage of arrows flies through the air in Stick's direction, driving him back and the two Hawkeyes give Matt the breathing room he needs to pull himself painfully upright.  
  
Stick snorts and pulls an arrow out of mid-air to throw it in Matt's direction.  "You need your friends to fight your battles?"  
  
Matt dodges the arrow -- barely --  as his wounds bleed heavily.  "It's called teamwork."  
  
Vibranium is known for two things.  It's the strongest metal on the planet and it absorbs vibrations.  Weapons made from vibranium aren't silent, not exactly, but when Steve's shield comes hurtling in their direction, Stick barely dodges it in time.  He does manage to dodge it on the rebound when it ricochets back.  
  
Stick is so busy dodging the shield that Peter is able to swing in from overhead and kick him across the dock -- right where Bucky Barnes is waiting.  
  
Jessica grabs Matt's arm and gently turns him towards her.  "Hold still.  I'm going to web your wounds closed until we can get you stitched up properly."  
  
"I'd feel bad about hitting an old man," Matt hears Barnes say as he lands a particularly vicious kick, "but I'm actually older than you are."  
  
Matt takes a moment to press his gloved hand to Jessica's masked cheek and then rejoins the fray in time to catch Stick as Barnes sends him flying and steer him in the direction of another pile of debris.  Stick lands hard but he's nothing if not a tenacious bastard and he's bounces back to his feet.  
  
The coppery smell of blood that isn't Matt's for a change is hint enough that the tide is about to turn.  This time, it's Matt who's the one driving Stick back.  Oh, he knows that Steve or Barnes could probably have taken Stick down and that they're hanging back, waiting for Matt to give the word to finish the old man off.  
  
Stick isn't going to prison.    
  
There's nothing for him to be charged with.  
  
Again.  
  
The fight ends the way the last one did, with Stick on his back and gasping for breath.  
  
"Get the hell out my city and take your 'army' with you," Matt practically spits at him.  
  
Stick rises shakily to his feet.  "You sure about that?"  
  
It's the tone as well as the question that sends Matt back to those days when he was twelve and Stick seemed to know everything.  But only for a moment.  Whatever he doesn't know, whatever is coming, he has friends to help him deal with it.  "Get.  Out."  
  
Barnes comes over and plants himself next to Matt.  He doesn't say a word.  But then again, the Winter Soldier doesn't have to speak to be intimidating, even to a blind man like Stick.  
  
There's a moment where Stick holds himself perfectly still and Matt knows he's taking Barnes' measure.  And then the insult naturally follows.  "Man up and raise your own damn kids, tin man.  This one'll fuck them up something fierce."  
  
With that, Stick and his followers vanish into the night, leaving six unconscious and injured Hand warriors behind.  
  
"You sure you want to let him go?" Steve asks.  
  
Matt nods.  He can hear Stick's heartbeat blending into the other eight million heartbeats of the city.  There's no doubt in Matt's mind that Stick will be back again, bringing chaos with him.  "There's no evidence to tie him to any of this."  
  
"This time," Foggy says loudly over the comm link so that Matt is sure to hear it.  "We'll get him next time, Matty."  
  
Stick may have an army but Matt has a team.  
  
  
  
00000000000000000  
  
  
  
It's the aftermath of battle that exhausts Steve.  Especially when that aftermath involves being debriefed while SHIELD agents and their specially designed equipment arrive to take Magneto and his Brotherhood into custody.  
  
"Who is this guy?" Agent Sharon Carter asks.  She doesn't look a thing like Peggy but she has Peggy's no-nonsense demeanor.  Unlike Peggy, there's no mistaking that Sharon finds Steve attractive because she's standing too close for his liking.  
  
Steve rubs his eyes tiredly and puts some space between them.  In another life -- one where SHIELD wasn't a front for HYDRA -- he might have been interested.  In *this* life, he's already got a girl and he knows with certainty what side she's on.  "Leland Owlsley the Second."  
  
"Is he a mutant?"  
  
"No idea but he's supposed to be dealing in MGH."  
  
Carter spits out instructions to her team to begin raiding any of Owlsley's properties and freeze his assets.  "And his connection with Magneto?"  
  
Steve thinks for a moment and then answers blandly. "Magneto's not a fan of MGH."  
  
There's raucous laughter as Magneto's unconscious body is carried past on a stretcher by a team of SHIELD agents.  There are so many of them that it's impossible to see the stretcher.  The team pauses in front of Carter.  
  
"You should see this," the team leader says with a grin.  He steps aside so that Steve and Sharon can see Magneto and the IV that's keeping him heavily sedated until he can be secured in a specially-designed SHIELD facility.  But that isn't what has the dozen agents smirking.  
  
Magneto's metal-fabric uniform has been torn apart and the lower half is down around his calves.  Webbing provides the man with a modicum of modesty and there's a note stuck to the Master of Magnetism's chest with webbing.  
  
Carter reads the note aloud slowly. "Please look after this evil mutant terrorist.  Your friendly neighborhood Spider-man."  
  
  
  
000000000000000  
  
  
  
"So... um...." Peter begins.  
  
Jessica turns to look at him.    
  
They're perched atop one of the Radiator Cap gargoyles on the Chrysler Building, admiring both the architecture and the view on their way back to the Tower.  The Chrysler Building is one of Peter's favorites and he was tickled when Steve told him it was one of his, too.  He knows without asking that Jessica probably also has a fondness for the elaborate, Art Deco construction.    
  
Peter clears his throat and tugs off his mask.  
  
Jessica lowers hers and raises an eyebrow.  
  
"So," Peter begins again.  "I'm thinking you should probably meet Aunt May."  
  
Her mouth drops open.  
  
He takes a deep breath and soldiers on, thinking he probably sounds like an idiot.  "Look, I know you're trying to be your own person but you're part of me.  Part of the family.  I-I've been treating you..."  Peter swallows hard and he's actually ashamed of how he's been thinking of her.  "I've been treating you like you're not real.  You are. Y-you're my... my sister, I guess."  
  
"There might be an argument that I'm your offspring," she teases.  
  
Peter makes a face.  "Yeah...no."  
  
"How do we even explain this to Aunt May?" Jessica asks, growing serious.  "She doesn't know you're Spider-man."  
  
Peter blinks and then realizes that their shared memories only go up to a certain point in time.  "She knows."  
  
"And she didn't freak?"  
  
"She was surprisingly okay about it," Peter admits.  "Father Lantom thought she would be which is why I think she'll be able to handle the whole, uh, you thing.  He said not to underestimate the powers of forgiveness and love a-and he was right.  Besides, it's not fair that everyone *but* Aunt May knows."  
  
"I really like Father Lantom," Jessica tells him seriously.  "The first thing he did when he met me was baptize me so I could start feeling like a real person.  Matt was smart for bringing me to him."  
  
"You're okay with him...uh..."  
  
"Being my dad?"  Jessica nods and she actually looks proud.  "Better than okay.  He's as good a person as we've always thought."  
  
Peter winces.  "That freaks me out."  
  
"That I know what you're thinking?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"But look how well it worked out there!"  
  
"True."  
  
"It freaks me out, too.  Not as much as it did at first because every day there's a little more me in here."  Jessica taps her head to make her point.  "Don't tell Matt but I think I might want to go to law school."  
  
"Really?"  Peter stares at her, incredulous.  "What about science?"  
  
She shrugs.  "I like it, sure, but I think that's because you like it.  Same goes for redheads.  The law thing is the first thing I know that's really mine."  
  
"Actually, it's Matt's," Peter corrects her.  "But I bet he'd love it.  You guys seem really close."  
  
"As close as you and Bucky."  
  
"And Steve, I think."  He shakes his head.  "For a pair of orphans, we've got a pretty big family, don't we?"  
  
Jessica looks at him. "We have each other."  
  
"We do."  
  
"It's still weird."  
  
Peter exhales in relief.  "I know!  I'm glad you think so, too."  
  
"Of course I do, dummy.  I'm you."  She cocks her head to the side, considering.  
  
"What?"  
  
Jessica's mouth curves into a smile.  "Ready for the most awkward hug in the history of the planet?"  


 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup, that note Peter left on Magneto is indeed a Paddington bear reference. 
> 
> The "most awkward hug" quote is from Ultimate Spidey #104.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are, at the end of what was once supposed to be a single chapter fic and turned into six long stories. I never expected the reception that I've received. Thank you for the kudos, the comments and the embarrassingly high hit counts. This story is dedicated to all of you. As the great Stan Lee would say, Excelsior!

Chapter 17

 

 

Aunt May arrives on the residential floor not long after Steve does and the first thing she does after kissing Peter is point at Barnes and at Steve. "I want to speak to both of you."

Her tone is stern and while Barnes has heard that tone directed at Petey once or twice, it's never been directed at him. Not even after some of the more catastrophic damage he inflicted on their home in his early days with the Parkers. Barnes feels a flicker of something he hasn't felt since his last HYDRA wipe. Fear.

As if he can sense it, Petey immediately leaps to Barnes' defense. "Aunt May --"

"You run along with your other friends," she tells him. "They're having snacks, I think."

"B-but there's something I need to tell you --"

"Peter. Run along."

Petey turns on the puppy dog eyes that never fail to melt Aunt May's resolve. "It's kind of important."

This time, it's Steve who's the stern one and he gently pushes Peter towards the elevator. "Go on, son."

The pitying look Petey sends in Barnes' direction before he steps into the elevator makes Barnes' blood run cold. He's failed somehow. His mind races over the details of the mission. Petey is uninjured and his attackers are in custody. Mission completed. There must be some transgression to produce this result, some glitch in his programming...

While Barnes has been reviewing his mission, Aunt May has been shedding her coat and setting her purse down. She meets his eyes, mouth set in a frown. "James, Dean Reynolds told me you met with him yesterday about one of Peter's absences."

There it is. The transgression. A failure to follow post-mission debriefing protocol. His handler has made a statement. Statements do not require responses. The Soldier waits.

"You told the dean that Peter wasn't feeling well but that wasn't true, was it?"

"No, ma'am."

Rogers intercedes. "There was a young man around Peter's age causing explosions --"

"It was during school hours," Aunt May scolds. "Where were you, Steven?"

Rogers snaps to attention. "The team was otherwise occupied out of the country, ma'am." He clears his throat. "If I may..."

"Steven, this isn't a court martial." Aunt May casts a look in the Soldier's direction before turning back to Rogers. "Did Peter's absence yesterday have anything to do with his absence today? With... with whatever was going on over by the piers on the West Side?"

"It does. Did. Most of what happened is classified now, so I can't --"

"That's not --!" She catches herself. "Of course I'm concerned about him when he's out there, even when he's with you. Both of you. But that's not why I'm angry." Aunt May points in the Soldier's direction. "You went to Peter's school." She points at Steve. "You knew about it. You're not his father, either of you --"

There's a strange, choking sound and the Soldier realizes only afterwards that he must be the source of the sound because both Aunt May and Rogers are staring at him. He acted without authorization. Unauthorized actions must be punished.

The Soldier drops to his knees and bows his head to show that he will submit to whatever punishment his handler deems fitting.

"Oh, James... Bucky..." Aunt May wraps her arms around the Soldier, pulling him closer until his face is pressed against her stomach. Fingers gently card through his hair and then a kiss is tenderly placed on the top of his head. "Shh, Bucky, it's all right. Nobody's going to hurt you. Especially not me. Not ever. I could never hurt you. You're family, Bucky, and I love you."

Barnes sucks in a ragged breath as he comes back to himself, still shaking and dear God, his cheeks are wet with tears. Did he cry like this when HYDRA -- no. He's not going to think about that now. He's embarrassed enough by his loss of control. "Aunt May...."

"I love you," Aunt May repeats. "I'm angry with you but I still love you."

Steve drops to his knees beside Barnes, resting a hand gently on Barnes' shoulder. "If there's anyone you should be angry with, it's me, Aunt May."

"And I am, Steven," Aunt May tells him, but she doesn't sound angry at all. She sounds resigned. "We've all agreed that Peter's education is important which is why I'm disappointed with both of you for hiding the fact that he cut school from me. Twice." Her fingers are cool and soft as they raise Barnes' chin until he's looking her in the eyes. "All you needed to do was tell me that you wanted to meet with Dean Reynolds, that you wanted to help take care of Peter. My goodness, Bucky, you'd have saved me from losing pay for taking time off from work. And of course, I know that you have Peter's best interest at heart. That you love him as if he were your own. Why do you think I haven't said anything about you patching him up and thinking you're so clever, hiding it from me?"

There's a smirk on Steve's face that vanishes almost instantly when Barnes eyes him.

"You know about that?" Barnes asks weakly.

"I raised that boy," Aunt May reminds him. "I know everything. Including who drank the last of the milk and didn't replace the carton, Bucky Barnes."

Barnes knows he's blushing as he mumbles, "I would have gotten more but I had to go fight evil mutants with Petey."

She closes her eyes briefly before asking, "Is that what you were all doing today? Fighting... Ugh, I can't even say it."

"That's classified, Buck," Steve warns.

"I don't report to SHIELD and neither do you, punk." Barnes gets to his feet and wipes the moisture from his face. His voice is steady as he tells her, "Your brave little man took down the most dangerous mutant terrorist on the planet today, Aunt May. You should be damned proud of him."

Aunt May takes Barnes' hand in hers. "I'm proud of all of my boys, Bucky." And then she stands up on tiptoe and kisses his cheek. "Goodness, I never thought I'd be saying *that* to the super soldiers from the history books."

It occurs to Barnes that this is the first time she's ever called him Bucky. It also occurs to him that this woman, this wonderful, kind woman who just held him, called him Bucky and told him that he's loved is the reason why his Petey is so free with his affections. Barnes doesn't remember any family besides the Parkers. Aunt May is his family. "I love you, too Aunt May."

This earns Barnes a fierce hug and he closes his eyes, savoring just how safe being hugged by the older woman makes him feel. Even the Soldier feels safe. When he opens his eyes, the concerned look on Stevie's face is gone, replaced by one of longing.

"Get over here and hug Aunt May, punk," Barnes orders him.

It doesn't surprise him in the least when he notices that the great Captain America's eyes are damp or when the big man tells Peter Parker's aunt that he loves her too.

After all, they're family.

 

00000000000000000000

 

May Parker's life has taken the strangest turn these past couple of months and she couldn't be happier. These strange, broken superheroes need her almost as badly as Peter does. Especially her Bucky. And it's funny, because up until a few minutes ago, she'd never have dared to call him Bucky, though she's thought of him as 'hers' for a while now. Calling him Bucky suddenly seems like the most natural thing in the world.

Peter bolts up from the sofa in the Tower's common area the moment she steps off of the elevator with Steve. "Aunt May, I have to tell you something. I-it's... it's important."

Steve squeezes Peter's shoulder and the affectionate, paternal way he regards Peter before he goes to check on Bucky doesn't escape her attention. Ben used to look at Peter just like that.

"Steve and Bucky told me about your big day today," May smiles at Peter. "I'm proud of you."

There's a cloud of anxiety that flashes across his face that tells her today was more of a challenge than he's letting on. "I... It's not that. There's someone I want you to meet."

The way Peter says it makes her think that he's met another girl but as far as May knows, Peter and Mary Jane aren't broken up at the moment. And then she sees the girl who's shyly half-hiding behind Matt Murdock.

The girl looks exactly like Peter. Right down to the nervous way she's biting her lip.

"Aunt May, this is Jessica."

Matt murmurs something softly in Jessica's ear and the two approach slowly. He seems incredibly protective of the girl. It reminds May of the way Bucky is with Peter.

Jessica stares up at Aunt May and opens and closes her mouth wordlessly. She has Peter's eyes. And his posture.

Peter sucks in a nervous breath but he also seems at a loss for words.

"You should sit, Mrs. Parker," Matt tells her. "Trust me on that."

May is vaguely aware of Steve and Bucky guiding her to one of the soft, comfortable chairs and of the rest of the people leaving the room.

"It's okay, Petey," Bucky says, kneading Peter's shoulders. "Tell her."

She stares at Bucky in surprise. Less than fifteen minutes ago, the most dangerous assassin in the world was cowering on his knees in front of her and now he's Peter's tower of strength. She's known for a while that they care deeply for each other but now she thinks she truly understands just how close they are. Ben would approve, May thinks. A boy Peter's age needs a father and Peter's found two of them.

Peter swallows thickly. "I... There's no easy way to say this, Aunt May. Remember those clones HYDRA made? Jessica is one of them."

May doesn't even notice that she's stood up until she's holding Jessica in her arms. "Where have you been all this time? Why didn't you come home?"

"I-I couldn't," Jessica says and she sounds so much like Peter that May's heart nearly breaks. "It's not my home. Not really --"

"Don't be ridiculous," May tells her. "You're a Parker, regardless of how you came into this world. And I'm your Aunt May who loves you. You have a home. You will always have a home." She breaks away and looks down at her niece. Her niece! "Please tell me you haven't been living on the streets."

Matt clears his throat and waits until he has May's attention before speaking. "She's been living with me."

"With you?" May echoes. And then she realizes everyone in the room and probably everyone who's left the room knew about Jessica. Everyone but her.

"With me," Matt repeats. His posture grows stiff and formal and so does his tone. "For all intents and purposes, I've adopted her. We can negotiate visitation and joint custody but I'm not giving her up without a fight."

His tone surprises her and it shouldn't. She knows it well. It's come out of her mouth often enough these past fifteen years. But what Matt wants isn't the issue. "Jessica, is that what you want? For Matt to take care of you?"

Jessica nods. "He's my dad, Aunt May."

May takes a deep breath and it's not a surprise to feel Bucky's hand on her shoulder, steadying her. Bucky is living proof that family is blood but sometimes it's also one that you build for yourself on a firm foundation of love. Matt's barely out of law school and he's not much more than a child himself, at least to May's eyes. But what's obvious is that these two love each other. Still, she needs to be sure. "And have you been taking care of her, Matt? Is she in school?"

"She's enrolled in St. Edmund's, the parish high school and she's in therapy twice a week to help her adjust," Matt says stiffly. "I've consulted with Bruce to make sure I understand the dietary needs of her enhanced metabolism --"

"He's teaching me how to be a lawyer every Thursday," Jessica adds. "That's our day."

There's no mistaking the proud look on Matt's face. There's also no doubt that he's committed to raising Jessica properly if he's paying what surely must be expensive private school tuition, as well as therapists, which May knows don't come cheaply.

"He checks my homework, too."

"I do that for Petey now," Barnes puts in.

Both teenagers groan and blush.

"Raising a teenager is a big responsibility, Matt," May warns him.

Protective hackles raised, Matt nods and says coolly, "I'm learning that, yes,"

"Then you should also agree that it won't do for us to be arguing about custody or visitation. I imagine Jessica has enough going on without all that." She watches his jaw clench and his shoulders set. "Besides, you're going to need me. It's all sunshine and rainbows now, but just you wait, Matthew. You're raising a teenager. Everything is life and death when they're that age. You should have seen Peter when Mary Jane broke up with him. I had to send him camping with Steve and Bucky to stop him from moping in the basement."

"I was not moping," Peter protests.

May eyes him. "You were moping. I know what you look like when you're moping and that was expert level moping." She turns back to Matt. "Does Jessica... Does she fight crime too?"

"Yes," Matt says. "She has Peter's spider powers."

"You're definitely going to need me," she confirms. "And you're both coming to Thanksgiving dinner."

"Aunt May makes the best stuffing, Matt," Jessica says excitedly. She blushes and ducks her her head, exactly like Peter. "I have some of Peter's memories."

Bucky's grip on May's shoulder tightens slightly and she looks up at her other adopted son with a warm smile before turning her attention back to a still-unconvinced Matt. "You're family now, Matt. My home is your home, too. Both of you, whenever you need it. As for spending time together, we'll make that work, won't we?"

"We might have had plans to have Thanksgiving with Foggy and Karen," Matt relents. "If she and Steve weren't planning a romantic Thanksgiving weekend somewhere."

"Karen? And Steve?" May turns to Steve and sees that the tips of his ears are red. "Oh, how wonderful for you, Steve! The two of you should come, if you don't have anything better to do." She turns back to Matt. "And Foggy is always welcome. He's family, too."

"I think," Steve says slowly, "with such a big family, we're going to have to have Thanksgiving here at the Tower. Don't you, Aunt May?"

A big family. It dawns on her then that none of the Avengers have anywhere to go for Thanksgiving. Clint is an orphan, poor Natasha never knew her family, Tony could use a good, home cooked meal for a change and she'll need to look into vegetarian options for Bruce. Goodness, and then there's Thor...

After Ben died, May never thought she'd be this happy again. She also never thought she'd be adoptive mother to a bunch of superheroes. Ben would love every single member of their new extended family.

"I do Steven. I really do."

 

The End...and the lead-in for the inevitable fluffy Thanksgiving Dinner fic that you will all ask for in the comments.


End file.
